About a Girl
by Pricefieldforevs
Summary: AU. No time travel/tornado. Max is an outsider at Blackwell, harassed by the Vortex Club and too shy to make any friends. Then blue-haired, beautiful, punk rock Chloe catapults into her life, questioning everything she's ever believed about herself, her sexuality and life in general. Feisty, confident and even a little dangerous, Chloe shows Max what it's like to really live.
1. Chapter 1

"Wait here, Max. I'll talk to you in a few minutes- I have some business to attend to first." Principal Wells said in his booming, intimidating voice before turning and departing into his office, leaving Max sat in the waiting room with the creepy old cat-lady receptionist. Max sighed and began fiddling with her camera, debating whether or not to take a selfie to commemorate her first disciplinary meeting with the principal. She was still pissed- the only reason she was even in here was because that dumbass, arrogant rich-kid Nathan Prescott had called her a feminazi in photography class yesterday, and Max had retaliated by politely telling him to go fuck himself. Of course, Mr Jefferson (the incredibly talented, famous and _gorgeous_ photography teacher) re-entered the classroom just in time to hear Max's insult and not Nathan, who started the whole damn thing. Mr Jefferson had no choice but to send Max to the principal's office, especially after Nathan threatened to get Mr Jefferson fired if he didn't take serious action.

Max groaned and laid back in the uncomfortable waiting room chairs, causing the receptionist to give her the stink eye. The whole school- no, the whole _town-_ was under the control of Nathan Prescott and his fucking family. The Prescott's were rich and powerful and owned half of Arcadia Bay, which meant that everybody turned a blind eye when they behaved like assholes, which was frequently. Max was already on thin ice at Blackwell Academy- even though she was a good student and kept out of trouble, she had only been accepted on a scholarship. If she did anything to fuck that up, she could wave goodbye to Blackwell and her dream of becoming a professional photographer. She'd only been at Blackwell a month since moving back to Arcadia Bay after living in Seattle for five years, yet she'd already managed to ostracise most of her classmates, including Nathan Prescott and his high-class, bitchy girlfriend Victoria Chase. They were reigning members of the elite Vortex Club, the most popular group of people at Blackwell. They wore the best clothes, threw the best parties, and they basically ruled the school. Cliché as fuck, but true.

This was so not Max- she didn't get in trouble, like ever. She was quiet, shy and usually just zoned out with her camera; it's not like she was anti-social, exactly, but she never felt confident enough to just walk up to people and talk to them effortlessly. What sucked most was that she was missing photography class with Mr Jefferson in order to be in this shitty meeting with the Principal; photography was her _favourite_ class, pretty much the only thing that kept her going at Blackwell. Her trusty Polaroid camera sat in her lap- it was her most prized possession. Max ran her hands over its smooth surface and nervously chewed her lip, worrying about whether she was going to get in serious trouble for this. Surely she would just get a warning- she'd only cussed Nathan out. It wasn't that serious, was it? It was only October- surely Max couldn't have fucked things up this quickly at school.

Suddenly the door to the waiting room slammed open, hitting the receptionists desk with a loud bang. Max jumped and her eyes flew upwards to register a tall, slender girl storming into the room, her eyes blazing with fury and her fists clenched by her sides. The girl was Max's age, yet she looked completely different to anyone that Max had ever seen before; her hair was a brilliant turquoise blue, cut in a short, choppy style that just grazed her ears and was partially hidden by a black beanie. She wore light blue ripped jeans with braces hung around her hips, a white tank top with a skull on it, chunky black Dr Marten boots and a black leather jacket. On her right arm a tattoo sleeve peaked out from the cuff of the jacket, the bright red and blue swirling colours contrasting with the girl's pale, porcelain skin. Her eyes were bright blue, matching her hair, and they somehow managed to look soft and impish yet hard and furious at the same time. Max was struck by how strikingly beautiful the girl was, in an understated, punk-rock kind of way.

The girl stomped up to the desk and threw her hands upon it, leaning over. "I can't fucking believe I'm back here. Is the Principal in? That asshole better be ready for me."

The receptionist barely looked up from the magazine she was reading. Max got the impression that this girl had been to see the Principal before, many times, even though she didn't recognise her and was pretty sure she wasn't a student at Blackwell. "Sit down, Miss Price," the receptionist sighed. "He'll be with you in a few minutes. And please refrain from using that foul language you're so fond of."

The girl spun around and groaned loudly, throwing her hands up in the air in exasperation. "This is bullshit." She rolled her eyes and looked around, before her eyes suddenly locked on Max sitting in the corner. Max quickly looked away, realising that she'd been staring pretty hard. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the girl's chunky boots walk towards her, and pause for a moment at Max's feet. Max slowly looked up, her eyes surveying the girl's body before landing on her eyes, which were staring at Max with a mixture of curiosity and bemusement.

"Who are you?" The girl asked, crossing her arms and sinking onto one hip, her eyes traveling over Max's body in a way that made her feel completely naked and exposed. Her voice was neither accusatory or angry anymore, but instead it was dripping in amusement.

"Uh, I'm M-max. Max Caulfield?" Max instantly cursed herself for stammering, but this girl made her so nervous for some reason. Even more nervous than Victoria and Nathan and their Vortex Club cronies.

"You're not sure?" The girl teased, a slow smile spreading across her striking, angular face. Max nodded and gulped, resisting the urge to chew her lip (her biggest nervous habit). The girl then twisted around and threw herself down in the seat next to Max, slumping down in the seat and crossing her ankles and arms, the typical 'I don't care' pose. In fact, everything about this girl screamed 'I don't give a shit', from her exotic hair colour to her punk clothes to her loud, brash mannerisms. She was the complete opposite of plain old Max in her everyday jeans and T-shirt, yet also the complete opposite of the uber-polished, designer-toting Vortex Club kids. Max was simultaneously scared yet intrigued by this girl, and she didn't even know her name.

"So what'd you do to end up in the Principal's office, nerd girl?" Max flinched at the word 'nerd', which was only ever used as an insult towards her by Nathan and his crew, but the way this girl said it made it sound like a good thing- it was clear she wasn't being mean.

Max hesitated, then turned and looked her square in the face. "I told Nathan Prescott to go fuck himself." She said simply. The girl's eyes widened in delight and she snorted with laughter. Max felt herself giggling too- after all, it was pretty funny.

"Well shit! Hot nerd girl has hella balls!" The girl nudged Max and grinned, and Max blinked rapidly. Did she just describe her as… _hot?_ Nobody had ever used the words 'Max' and 'hot' in the same sentence, never mind a _girl._ And a complete stranger! Yet instead of being creeped out, Max felt a blush rise in her cheeks and her heart skip a beat. Was this girl… _flirting_ with her?

"Well, he had it coming. You know him?"

The girl raised her eyebrows. "Who doesn't? The Prescott's rule this fucking town, as Nathan would say. That kid has his head so far up his own ass that he could chew his food again on the way down."

Max burst into laughter, eliciting yet another withering glare from the receptionist. The girl grinned too, her electric blue eyes dancing. She extended her hand towards Max's and shook it. "I'm Chloe."

Chloe Price. That name rang a bell, actually- in fact, didn't Max hear Nathan talking about this girl to Victoria in photography class the other day? Max hadn't meant to listen, but they were talking so loud that she couldn't help it. Something about drugs…and a guy named Frank. Max was sure she'd heard Nathan refer to her as 'Rachel Amber's friend'. Rachel Amber used to attend Blackwell, from what Max had gathered in the month she'd been here, but back in April she'd stopped attending class and then just completely disappeared. There were 'Missing Person' posters all over the school with her face on- in the parking lot, in the halls, in the dorms, even in the bathrooms. From what Max had heard, she was popular but kind of a wild card- there were tons of rumours that she was on drugs and sleeping with a teacher (Max didn't know which one) but they were unconfirmed. From the posters, however, it was clear that she was absolutely gorgeous. Max always saw them and wondered about this mysterious girl- had she run away? Or something worse?

"N-nice to meet you, Chloe. Do you go to school here?" Max asked timidly. Unlike her, Chloe seemed so confident and at ease- even though she'd only met Max literally one minute ago, she seemed completely comfortable.

Chloe snorted again, this time in disdain. "Fuck no. I mean, I used to. I was kicked out like six months ago."

Max's eyes widened slightly. She wasn't surprised, exactly; it was clear that Chloe was trouble, you didn't have to be a genius to figure that out. She suddenly noticed she was wearing a necklace with three bullets hanging from it- bullets which looked pretty real. She also quickly became aware of the fact that this girl smelt faintly of cigarettes and something else...marijuana? If this was anyone else, Max would be feeling alarmed. But for some reason, Chloe didn't seem that dangerous. Actually, the fact that she seemed so badass and unusual kind of excited Max.

"Oh don't look so scared, Bambi." Chloe had clearly registered Max's startled expression. "I'm not all bad. I just did some stupid shit. You know, the typical rebellious teen crap."

Max didn't know. The most rebellious thing she'd ever done was steal a few pieces of Laffy Taffy from the candy shop when she was ten. And, she guessed, telling Nathan to go fuck himself. Max still wasn't sure why she'd done it; calling her a feminazi (which wasn't even true) wasn't the cruellest thing Nathan had ever said to her, not by a long way, but for some reason she'd just had enough that day and snapped. There was only so much she could take.

"So, why are you back?" Max asked, unintentionally causing the stormy expression Chloe had been wearing when she'd first entered the office to return.

"You fucking tell me." Chloe hissed, glaring at the door to the Principal's office. Max flinched slightly at her harsh tone of voice, and Chloe seemed to notice because her face softened slightly. "Sorry. Didn't mean to bite your head off. It's just hella fucking stupid- the principal wants to talk to me about my friend who went missing a couple of months ago. 'Only some routine questions, Miss Price'", Chloe mocked Principal Wells' gruff, stentorian voice, "Ugh. It's none of his business. Like he even cares about Rachel anyway."

A lightbulb dinged in Max's brain. _Rachel._ As in Rachel Amber. So her and Chloe _were_ friends. "You knew Rachel Amber?" Max asked, not wanting to pry but also hungry to know more about this mysterious missing girl.

Chloe's face changed slightly; an expression flashing in her eyes that Max couldn't quite place. "Yeah. She was- _is_ my best friend." She said bluntly, looking down at her big black boots and away from Max's inquisitive stare.

The atmosphere had tensed slightly; Max could tell she'd touched on a sore subject. ' _Fuck',_ she thought, ' _Me and my nosiness.'_ For one frightening moment she worried that she'd actually really pissed off Chloe by asking, but just as quickly as that thought came, it was gone. Chloe suddenly straightened up and grinned at Max, the tension dissipating and the atmosphere jovial and light once again.

"So, what'd His Royal Highness Nathan Prescott do to you to warrant such a vicious attack?" Chloe teased, raising her eyebrows at Max expectantly.

"Oh, he called me a feminazi. Just one of many equally delightful nicknames he has for me."

Chloe rolled her eyes. "Men are such pigs. It's like they can't cope with strong, independent women. Makes them nervous."

Max nodded in agreement. "I'll bet you make a lot of boys nervous." As soon as the words were out of her mouth, she regretted them. Even though she'd meant it jokingly, what if Chloe thought she was being a bitch? Right after the Rachel Amber comment as well, _fuck._ Even though Max had only just met her, something within in her _really_ wanted Chloe to like her.

Thankfully, Chloe didn't seem at all bothered. In fact, she seemed sort of pleased by the words. "Good, that's my intention." She grinned to herself, playing with the bullet necklace around her neck. She looked at Max, her eyes playful. "Do I make you nervous, Max?"

Hearing Chloe say her actual name and not some nickname sent shivers running up Max's spine- she didn't know why. This was only exacerbated by Chloe's bright blue eyes piercing into hers, making her feel as naked as they had before. This was silly. She'd only known the girl five minutes; so why did she have such a weird effect on her? "U-uh, well- I've only just met you." She replied, instantly hating the stammer in her voice and the way it gave away her nerves.

Chloe nodded thoughtfully, and then suddenly leaned in really close to Max, so close that Max could smell her breath, a mixture of tobacco and mint and coffee, a weirdly delicious scent. "True. But something tells me we'll be seeing a lot more of each other." She said, her voice low and husky and her breath hot on Max's cheeks. As the two girls stared into each other's eyes, Max felt her face becoming increasingly warmer and not just from the heat of Chloe's breath. Chloe's lack of boundaries and the way she invaded her space should have made her feel uncomfortable, but instead she kinda…liked it. In that moment, there was some sort of connection between the two of them. Something that Max could not comprehend at all.

"Miss Price."

The sudden boom of Principal Wells' voice pierced the dream-like bubble surrounding the two girls, and Max recoiled back from Chloe guiltily- so fast that her camera slid out of her lap and bounced onto the floor. She quickly grabbed it and stood up, blushing furiously. ' _Fucking_ idiot _!'_ she cursed herself internally. Beside her, Chloe snorted in amusement, causing the blush on Max's cheeks to deepen even further.

"Sup, Ray? I can call you Ray, right? I mean there's honestly no need for formalities now that I'm not a student here." Chloe teased the Principal, her voice dripping in condescension. Principal Wells merely narrowed his eyes, clearly used to her antagonisms. Max didn't understand how Chloe could be so brazen and unabashed- it was honestly kind of… _sexy._

"Even though you're no longer a student here at Blackwell, I still expect to be treated with the same level of respect I give to you, Miss Price. Please go into my office and wait for me there." Principal Wells replied sternly, before turning to Max. "And Miss Caulfield? I have to say I was not expecting to see you here. You're one of Blackwell's top students- surely you should know better. I have to say, I'm disappointed in you."

Max ducked her head, ashamed. It was kind of sucky to have a teacher lay it on you, especially with Chloe right beside her lapping up every word. "I know. I'm sorry, Principal Wells. It was a mistake."

The Principal shook his head slightly- he genuinely did look disappointed, which made it even worse. "Well, seeing as this is your first offence here at Blackwell, I'm going to let you off the hook. But next time, I won't be so lenient. And I want you to personally apologise to Nathan. I must remind you that we have a zero tolerance bullying policy at this school, Maxine."

A wave of indignation and incredulity burst in Max's stomach. She didn't know what to be more pissed about; being told to apologise to Nathan (fuck _that_ ), the Principal insinuating that _she_ was the bully in this situation, or the fact that he'd called her _Maxine_! Max hated being called by her proper name; for her, it was the equivalent of nails scratching on a chalkboard. She opened her mouth to retaliate, but a small voice in the back of her head reminded her of her scholarship, and the precarious situation she was in. Arguing with the Principal would only make things worse. So instead, she nodded meekly. "Thank you, Principal Wells. It won't happen again."

The Principal nodded. "Then you can go. As for you Miss Price, come on- I don't have all day." He turned and retreated into his office, holding the door open for Chloe who was stood facing Max, the corner of her mouth cocked up in her seemingly trademark cocky smile.

"I'll see you around then, maybe?" Max said to Chloe shyly. She could barely keep the hope out of her voice; suddenly she really wanted to know Chloe- those five minutes with her had been nowhere near enough time. She wanted to find out about what she was like- her favourite food, the music she listened to, all the places she wanted to travel to, her dreams…it was like this overwhelming, all-consuming desire to get to know her properly.

"Oh, you will." Chloe said simply, casting a slow and a sexy wink in Max's direction before turning and sauntering into the Principal's office and out of sight, leaving her standing there completely dazed.

One thing was for certain- this was not the last Max would be seeing of Chloe Price. Not if she could help it.


	2. Chapter 2

_Something good, oh something good, oh something good,_

 _Oh something good tonight will make me forget about you for now_

Max sat in her dorm room at her desk, staring blankly at the Word document open on her laptop as the soft, melancholy sounds of Alt-J's ' _Something Good'_ drifted from the speaker. For what must be the fortieth time, she re-read her English essay question. ' _Explain how Animal Farm represents the totalitarian state of the USSR'._ It was a simple enough question, and Max had read the book at least three times (she loved Orwell), but for some reason her brain was taking a major shit that day. And the day before, in fact. She had no clue why.

Well, that was kind of a lie. It had been two days since Max had met Chloe, and she hadn't seen her since. Every time she turned a corner, entered a classroom, strolled through the school grounds, she hoped- no, _longed_ \- that she would look and there Chloe would be, standing there with her self-assured smirk and her cyan-blue hair. It was a ridiculous thought; Chloe didn't even go to Blackwell, so there would be no possible reason for her to be around campus…yet Max still held onto it anyhow.

Chloe had said that they would see each other again, but when? How would they find each other? Last night, in an extremely desperate state, Max had even Facebook searched her to see if there were any results, but it looked like Chloe didn't use social media. Which Max should have probably guessed- she didn't seem like the type.

"Ugh, fuck this." Max groaned in exasperation, slamming her laptop shut and pushing away from her desk, glancing at the clock on her wall. 4:30pm on a Friday afternoon, and she had the whole evening ahead with nothing to do and no one to see. There was a Vortex Club party tonight; she'd overheard Victoria and her two equally bitchy minions, Taylor and Courtney, discussing it in the bathroom this morning as she was taking a shower. Like Max would go, though- firstly, she would never be invited, and secondly, spending an evening drinking cheap beer, getting high and listening to trashy techno music with Nathan, Victoria and their ilk seemed like the worst idea since genocide. Although, it would be kind of fun to see what Vortex Club parties were like- were they as wild and out of control as everyone at Blackwell made them out to be? Max sighed; it was unlikely that she would ever find out.

Suddenly, her phone beeped, and she glanced down at the screen to see a text from her friend, Warren Graham.

' _Yo yo Max! You still have my flash drive with all my movie booty on, right? Can you meet me in the parking lot and bring it? I have this mad desire to watch The Godfather tonight'_

Max smiled, typing a quick ' _Sure. See u in 10'_ response back to him. Warren was one of her only friends at Blackwell- she had met him in her science class a couple of weeks ago and they'd become friends pretty quick. He was an ultra-geek, but also kind and witty. They'd discussed their favourite things- Warren made Max look like a total noob when it came to film and science, but she had him down as far as photography and literature were concerned. She was glad that she had a true friend at Blackwell, especially one who shared the same distaste for the Vortex Club as she did.

Max quickly grabbed Warren's flash drive off her desk and headed out of her room into the corridor. But, to her instant dismay, Victoria was heading down the hall with Taylor and Courtney towards her room, which was- of _course-_ directly opposite Max's. She was wearing a gray cashmere sweater, a mini skirt and suede, dove gray boots. Her signature string of pearls hung around her neck, glinting ostentatiously. The entire outfit probably cost more than a year's tuition fee at Blackwell; Victoria looked uber-polished, prissy and stuck up, as usual. Beside her, Taylor and Courtney were dressed in similarly stylish ensembles that were equally way too over the top for school and probably equally as expensive.

"Well look who it is. Max _Selfie,"_ Victoria sniggered nastily, surveying Max with a look of disdain. "How many selfies have you taken today, Max? Ten? Twenty? I'm surprised you ever have any film left in that shitty Polaroid."

Taylor and Courtney cackled with laughter as Max's cheeks inevitably flushed red, as they did every time she felt embarrassed or nervous. She felt her veins pump with seething anger; Victoria was such a _bitch._ What had Max ever done to her? "You're hilarious, Victoria." She hissed, attempting to move past.

Victoria quickly stepped to the side and blocked Max's path, placing her skinny manicured hands on her hips and raising an eyebrow. "Oh and just where do you think you're going?"

"Yeah, we're talking to you _Max_." Taylor sneered.

Max sighed heavily, glaring up at Victoria and her annoying fucking pixie haircut and misleadingly innocent doe-eyed face. Max would never be able to comprehend why someone as rich and pretty and popular as Victoria would take time out of her day solely to tear other people like Max down. Honestly, what was the fucking point?

"Can you get out of my way?" she asked, trying to keep the nerves out of her voice. As much as she hated to admit it, Max was a little bit scared of Victoria. Taylor and Courtney not so much, they were just mindless slaves who wouldn't say shit if they were by themselves, but Victoria...she had a lot of power at Blackwell. She could make Max's life a living hell if she wanted to. It was pretty scary.

"I don't know girls, can we?" Victoria taunted, exchanging pitying looks with her minions. "Maybe we will…if you beg."

No fucking way. Max was afraid of Victoria, but nowhere near enough for her to _beg_ to be let past. "I'm not doing that, Victoria."

Victoria raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Well, looks like we're going to be standing here an awfully long time then."

Max's phone vibrated twice in her pockets; she didn't have to check it to know that it was Warren, wondering where she was. If this was any other day, she would've meekly retreated back into her room and ignored Victoria. However, it appeared that today she would have to give into her stupid fucking games.

"Victoria, can you please move out of the way? Please?" she asked, trying to sound as non-desperate as possible.

"Pretty please." Victoria said, holding up her phone. Was she recording? _Fuck._ Max would never be able to live this down.

"Pretty please." Max repeated, praying that this ridiculous charade would come to an end now.

"With a cherry on top." Victoria giggled maliciously, as Taylor and Courtney tittered beside her.

"With a cherry on top." Max uttered through gritted teeth, her fists clenching at her sides. How she longed to punch Victoria straight in her smug, supercilious face. Yet once again, she couldn't do anything. If she did, she had no doubt that Victoria would use her power and prestige at Blackwell to make sure Max's scholarship ended up down the toilet.

"Excellent work, Max. Don't worry, I'll put a vintage filter on it before I post it all over social media." Victoria sneered, tapping away at her expensive smartphone. Max pushed past her angrily, gritting her teeth so hard that it was a miracle they didn't disintegrate.

"Hey Max! Why don't you go fuck your selfie?!" Victoria called down the corridor, before the three girls burst into delighted, merciless laughter.

" _Bitches."_ Max hissed under her breath, storming out of the dorm into the pleasantly refreshing crisp autumn air. She stopped for a few seconds to catch her breath, counting to ten several times in her head to calm herself down. She couldn't fucking believe this. Why was Victoria so horrible to her? Ever since Max had started at Blackwell a month ago it was like she'd made it her mission to destroy her. Max's mom had always said that people only picked on other people because they were jealous of them, but she didn't believe that. What could Victoria be jealous of? She had _everything._ Beautiful clothes, tons of friends, a fancy camera that cost about two grand and took the most _gorgeous_ photos…Max, on the other hand, wasn't exactly the object of envy. No, Victoria had to be insecure. Those who were confident in themselves never felt the need to act superior. Yet what was she insecure _about?_ Max just didn't fucking understand people sometimes.

Her phone buzzed for the third time, snapping her out of her brooding. Max began jogging to the parking lot, not wanting to keep Warren waiting any longer. As she ran, she enjoyed the feeling of the sun on her cheeks and the cool breeze on the back of her neck. Fall was her favourite season, she loved everything about it; the burnt orange, gold and crimson leaves that cluttered the campus ground, the way the sticky humidity of summer faded to a cosy, ever so slightly nippy autumnal breeze, and yes, even the pumpkin spice lattes at Starbucks. She made a mental note to go out the next day and take some pictures of the sunrise- it was always at its most beautiful in the fall.

Finally, Max reached the parking lot. She looked around for Warren, her heart pumping in her ears from the sudden exertion, and spotted him leant against his old-school, rusty yet loveable blue car, tapping on his phone- probably typing another text to Max asking where she was. Hurrying over to him, she passed a huge, beat-up brown pick up truck parked obnoxiously over two handicapped spots. That sort of shit really pissed Max off. People could be so selfish. ' _Sorry handicapped folks, my truck needs these two spots more than you do'_. What an asshole.

"Hey, super Max!" Warren looked up as Max reached him, his face bursting into an adorable goofy smile. "I was beginning to think you'd been sucked up by a tornado or something."

Max rolled her eyes good-naturedly. "I wish."

"Rough day?"

"Don't even go there. Here, I have your flash drive." Max reached into her pocket and handed over the small gadget to Warren. Their fingers brushed against each other momentarily, and Warren quickly jerked his hand back, blushing. Max was instantly self-conscious- he didn't think she had cooties, did he?

"S-so, you watched the movies on there?" Warren asked, rubbing his hand against the back of his neck.

Max nodded enthusiastically. "Totally! You have good taste."

The blush on Warren's cheeks deepened. "Thanks. What was your favourite?"

"I wish I could say something intellectual and artsy, but honestly? ' _Stand by Me'.'_ Hands down. I cried like a baby."

"I love that film! River Phoenix is an incredible actor." Warren agreed, his voice rising in pitch excitedly. It was so sweet how he got all worked up talking about film. Max was exactly the same with photography.

"Although I have to say, I was kinda disturbed by the amount of emo vampire movies. I mean, Twilight, seriously?" Max teased.

"Hey, don't hate! Edward kind of reminds me of myself, you know, all brooding and tortured and mysterious." Warren winked, the sarcasm evident in his voice.

"Oh, you're such a wounded soul aren't you?" Max laughed.

Warren chuckled. "You know me well. Can't a sensitive high school boy enjoy sensitive vampires too? Besides, Bella is a total hottie."

"If you like your women insipid and expressionless, then sure, I guess?"

"Meow! Hey, speaking of movies, we should check out the drive-in theatre. It's like fifty miles from here, and now I actually have a car to get us there." Warren suggested, his tone slightly more shy than it was a second ago.

"Yeah, that's definitely a better plan than when you suggested we go on your bike with me on the back. _Or_ when you tried to hire a Vespa."

"Hey, those were both two perfectly reasonable plans!" Warren protested.

"And how exactly did you think the seating arrangements would work when we got to the drive in? Me perched on one handlebar and you on the other?" Max laughed.

"We could have turned the bike upside down and sat on the tyres?" Warren sniggered. The mental image of that scenario caused the two of them to double over in hysterics, clutching onto each other for support as they snorted with laughter. Max loved how Warren could always make her laugh so easily and restore her to a good mood no matter what. She was suddenly really glad she knew him; out of all the posers and assholes at Blackwell, Warren was one of the few really genuine people she'd met since being back here.

Once they'd recovered from their laughing fit and caught their breath, Warren repeated his question. "So, the drive in? Should I get us tickets? Plane of the Apes is showing next weekend." He was clearly trying to sound nonchalant, but the hope in his voice was apparent- Max could tell that he really wanted to go. Why he wanted to take her so badly, she had no idea; Warren had a couple other film-buff friends he could go with, but for some reason he chose Max- the complete amateur.

"Okay, but I'm warning you, I have a tendency to zone out during movies. Especially at crucial plot moments. It's kind of a problem." Max joked.

Warren didn't seem to mind at all. His face lit up in pure child-like joy, and something else-relief? Max was kind of astonished at his reaction- was he really that worried that she'd say no? Warren was her friend, of course she'd go with him.

"That's great! Awesome! I'll get the tickets tomorrow then!" Warren exclaimed, reaching forward like he was going to hug Max but then pausing, seemingly thinking better of it. "So, I'll see you around. You are going to be around campus this weekend, right?"

Max hesitated, the thought of Chloe popping into her mind for the millionth time today, nagging at her. She didn't know why she was so unreasonably obsessed with this girl; they barely knew each other. The whole thing was stupid. Max couldn't explain it, but she felt… _drawn_ towards Chloe, like there was some magnetic force between them. She had hoped to run into her this weekend- maybe Chloe would turn up at campus looking for Max?

Suddenly, Max realised the absurdity of her thoughts. Just because Chloe had casually said that her and Max would see each other again, didn't mean they would. She was probably just saying it to be polite. But then, Chloe didn't strike Max as the 'polite' type- she seemed blunt and upfront, like she wouldn't say something she didn't mean. Even if she had meant it, though, it didn't mean that she would go out of her way to try and see Max. She didn't even go to Blackwell, so why was Max hoping she'd turn up at campus?

Oh, this was fucking ridiculous. Max felt instantly stupid and pathetic. Why did she have to overanalyse _everything?!_ She'd replayed the conversation with Chloe on Wednesday multiple times in her mind since then, cursing herself for not being more witty, more interesting, more mysterious.

"Max? Hello?" Warren's voice suddenly snapped Max out of her reverie. She really needed to stop zoning out.

"U-uh yeah, yeah, sorry! Apart from going out to take photos, I'll probably be on campus."

"Cool. See you, Max." Warren smiled, touching Max's shoulder lightly before walking past her and towards the school building.

"See you." Max murmured. She closed her eyes for a second, letting the cool evening breeze envelop her, the hum of the cicadas in the bushes and the distant sound of laughter from the main campus lingering in the background.

"Man, that dude is so fucking in love with you." Came a familiar, teasing voice from behind her.

Max whipped around. In front of her stood a tall, slender figure, shadowed by the glare of the sun. Max put her hand up to her eyes, blocking the sun, and suddenly the figure snapped into focus. It was a girl. A girl with chunky black boots, torn jeans, a black leather jacket, and hair the colour of aquamarine, of the sky on a hot summer's day, of the ocean…

 _Chloe._

 **A/N:** Sorry about the lack of action in this chapter! It's just that whenever I read a fanfiction where the relationships move too fast, I get super annoyed. Don't worry- there will be plenty of Pricefield in the next chapter! This is my first fanfic, so any tips/comments are appreciated. I'm planning on uploading once a week or more. Thanks for reading!


	3. Chapter 3

It was her. It was really, really her. Max could _not_ believe it.

" _Chloe?!"_ she exclaimed loudly, finally saying the name that had been circulating through her mind constantly for the past few days.

Chloe grinned and sauntered towards Max, hips swinging, effortlessly cool and confident. "Woah, Max. You're acting like I've just been resurrected from the dead."

Max blushed, realising her initial reaction had perhaps been a bit over-the-top. She couldn't believe Chloe was really there, though; she'd just been about to give up any hope of seeing her again. It wasn't quite 'Jesus coming back from the dead' standard, but it _was_ sort of miraculous.

"I-I'm just surprised to see you here, is all."

"Well I said we would see each other again, didn't I?" Chloe said, bumping Max's arm playfully. Her skin burned pleasantly at the touch; it felt like an electric charge had passed between them.

"You came here to see me?" Max felt a warmth pool in her stomach, rising up to her cheeks. The fact that Chloe had come all the way here just to see Max was…well, it made her very happy. "I…I thought you'd forgotten me."

Chloe cocked her head, her expression amused and also a tiny bit incredulous. "Oh I _definitely_ did not forget you, Max Caulfield." She stated, looking Max directly in the eyes, her eyes dancing. Max quickly looked away- she'd never been good at maintaining eye contact with people who intimidated her. Not that Chloe intimidated her, exactly- she just made her nervous. But in a good way.

"I had these posters to put up," Chloe gestured to a missing person's poster with Rachel Amber's face emblazoned on it lying on a nearby car. "I was gonna use them as an excuse to sneak into the dorms and come find you. But then I saw you here. Must be fate." She winked, and instantly shivers ran up Max's arms and spine.

' _It's just the cold, Max.'_ Max thought to herself- although, it wasn't really that cold out. "Really? You weren't scared of getting caught?"

"I'm not scared of anything." Chloe said simply, grinning. Max believed her. She seemed so fearless and daring- it was incredible. It made Max feel kinda babyish; she couldn't imagine doing anything like sneaking into an off-limits building- especially since the head of security at Blackwell was terrifying as fuck. "So, you wanna get out of here?"

Max froze. Up until now, she'd been desperate to see Chloe and hang out with her. But now the opportunity was here, she suddenly felt paralysed with apprehension. What if Chloe thought she was boring? Max couldn't imagine what Chloe's other friends were like; probably other exciting, wild, carefree punk-rockers- the fucking polar opposite of safe, sensible Max. Rachel Amber was a prime example- gorgeous, fun, popular and interesting, from what she had heard. How could Max live up to that?

However, one look at Chloe and her expectant, even slightly hopeful, face completely quashed any hesitation Max had. It was time for her to start living, for _once._ "Sure."

Chloe's eyes lit up and she grinned. It was a beautiful sight. "Awesome. Let's jet. My truck's over here."

Max followed Chloe's lead as the two of them walked over to her car. As they reached it, Max realised with a sinking feeling of guilt that it was the same truck she'd internally scorned for parking over the handicapped spots. Even though Chloe obviously didn't know Max had indirectly called her an 'asshole' in her head, she still felt kinda shitty.

Chloe yanked open the passenger door and help it open for Max, making a theatrical show of ducking and bowing like a servant to a queen. "Your carriage awaits, m'lady." She stated in a faux-British accent, and Max giggled.

"Why thank you, young sir." She replied haughtily in the same faux-accent, attempting to clamber into the truck elegantly. However, her foot slipped on the floor of the truck, and she fell into the seat clumsily, landing with a loud ' _Oof!'_.

Chloe instantly exploded into laughter, loud and bright like a firework. It was one of the best sounds that Max had ever heard, but she was too embarrassed by her fall to appreciate it fully. She quickly readjusted herself into the seat, pulling her seatbelt across her torso, cheeks bright red (typical).

"No offence, Caulfield, but you'd make a hella terrible princess." Chloe chuckled as she slammed the truck door shut. Max could still hear her laughing as she made her way round the front of the car to the driver's seat. She smiled to herself; even though that definitely made her 'Top Ten Embarrassing Moments' list, Chloe's laugh was infectious. And she had to admit, it was pretty fucking funny.

Chloe hopped into the car effortlessly and turned the keys into the ignition. The engine revved loudly and the radio automatically came on, a heavy thrasher song blasting suddenly from the speakers, making Max jump. "Oh shit, sorry." Chloe muttered, changing the station. "I'll change this to something a little more PC. You don't really seem like the mosh pit type." She grinned at Max and began pulling out of the parking lot.

"Hey, I'm not a total virgin- uh, I mean w-when it comes to punk music." Max scrabbled to correct herself, blushing fiercely. _Fucking stupid!_

Chloe snorted. "Ooh la la, nerd girl is a metal head? Who would have guessed?" She teased, ignoring the virgin comment (thankfully), then suddenly stretched her right hand towards Max. For one moment Max was sure she was going to _touch_ her; her entire body tensed in anticipation and her heart began to thump. Instead, Chloe reached past her and pulled open the glove box, fumbling around in it as the car came to a stop at the exit to the parking lot.

Max exhaled, slightly disappointed. Not that she wanted Chloe to _touch_ her…did she?

"Mind if I smoke?" Chloe asked, watching Max as she pulled out a carton of cigarettes and a lighter. Max shook her head no in response- normally the smell of smoke made her feel a little queasy, but for Chloe she didn't mind making an exception. As Chloe lit the cigarette, Max looked out of the window, watching as groups of students in the distance made their way through the grounds to the dorms or the school bus which would take them into main Arcadia. A part of her kind of hoped some of her classmates would walk into the parking lot and see Max with Chloe; Max felt like she had a bit of a rep at Blackwell for being kind of an outsider- something that she was desperate to change. She wished Victoria and her posse would walk past just so she could shout 'Hey! Look, I have a friend! Me, Max, socialising!" Although, did Chloe even consider herself her friend? Max hoped so.

Chloe began to pull out of the parking lot and onto the main road, one hand on the steering wheel and the other holding the lit cigarette, bringing it to her cotton-candy pink lips for a drag every few seconds. The setting sun seeped in through the truck window, illuminating her face and casting her in a warm, golden glow. She looked…radiant. Beautiful. A warm, heavy feeling bubbled in Max's gut, its warmth spilling over and running up her body, from her fingertips to her cheeks. It was a perfect moment. Without even thinking, she reached into her bag, pulled out her Polaroid and snapped a picture.

The snap and whirr of the camera evidently startled Chloe, and Max too. She hadn't even really been aware that she was taking a photo- it was just automatic. See a beautiful moment, capture it. It was almost instinctive at this point. Yet, as the snap of the camera jolted her back into reality, Max realised that it was kind of a weird fucking thing to do to someone you barely knew.

"Shit, sorry." Max stammered, hastily removing the picture and shoving the camera into her bag. "It's just-I'm a photographer and I- well, I wouldn't actually even consider myself a photographer, I'm probably not very good, but sometimes I kind of go into auto-pilot and take photos, and I didn't mean to startle you, it was just-"

Chloe suddenly leant over and touched Max on the shoulder, cutting off her gabbling- thankfully. "Dude, chill. I'm not pissed. I don't mind you taking photos of me. I mean, I get it- why wouldn't you want photos of someone as sexy as me?" She pushed Max on the arm lightly, playfully, and grinned, casting another wink in her direction.

Max tried to ignore the feeling that stirred up again in her stomach. "Don't flatter yourself, Price."

"Is that some sass I hear? I'm a clearly a good bad influence on you already," Chloe chuckled good-naturedly. "Let's see the picture, Ansel Adams."

Max glanced at the Polaroid sitting fully developed in her hand; she'd forgotten for a second that she'd taken it. She had to admit…it was kind of good. Maybe even one of her best pictures. The light hit Chloe's profile perfectly, illuminating the deep blue of her eyes and her clear skin, as unblemished as a bowl of cream. The photo was oddly _intimate_ ; if Max was seeing it in the eyes of someone else, she'd have automatically assumed the person who captured it was Chloe's lover.

She held up the photo reluctantly, looking away shyly as Chloe took her eyes of the road and peered at it. Max always got embarrassed about people looking at her work; she was terrified of being rejected or criticised.

"Holy shit." Chloe breathed, her voice low and husky- a tone almost as intimate as the photo itself. "Max, this is hella good. You're incredible."

Max blushed instantly; Chloe's praise was unexpected yet incredibly heart-warming. Her heart fluttered and a large smile crept onto her face. "Thanks. I love taking photos- it's kind of my thing, I guess. I want to be a professional photographer in the future, that would be _amazing._ I don't know if it'll happen though. That's why I came back to Blackwell, to see if I can be."

For a few seconds, there was silence. Max looked up quickly, hoping she wasn't being boring. Her eyes instantly met Chloe's, who was staring at her full on. Her hands were still holding the steering wheel, the cigarette between her left-hand fingers still burning, long forgotten about. The expression on her face was impossible to read, but it was definitely intense. The air in the truck suddenly felt thick and cloggy with tension, anticipation; Max was dying to know what was going on inside Chloe's head. Did she think she was weird, or something?! Had Max totally fucked it up already?

Another second of silence passed, and then Chloe quickly snapped her eyes back to the road, clearly realising she was meant to be watching it. The moment was over as quickly as it begun.

"You just are- um, you remind me kinda of Rachel." Chloe clarified hastily. Max detected a slight note of panic in her voice- unusual for fearless, no-fucks-given Chloe.

"Do I?" Max asked. It was a genuine question- she didn't think she was anything like Rachel. She was pretty sure that it wasn't what Chloe had actually wanted to say, but she couldn't think of any other explanation as to why she had been staring at her like that.

"She used to take pictures of me too sometimes. Drove me fucking insane." From Chloe's affectionate tone of voice, though, it was clear that Rachel hadn't annoyed her, not in the slightest. "She was hella good at photography, though, like you. Her photos always made me look so good. Angelic, even."

Max smiled. Chloe was stunning, but angelic? Not so much. She opened her mouth to ask more about Rachel, but suddenly the truck came to a rather sudden stop. Through the window, Max could see their apparent destination; Arcadia Bay's namesake, the actual bay itself. She hadn't been to the beach since before she'd moved to Seattle- it looked slightly more ramshackle and barren now than she remembered it. Just another reminder of how much things had changed since she was a child.

"Are we going paddling?" Max joked.

"Hah-hah, nerd girl. We're not staying here. I'm gonna show you my secret place." Chloe said, jumping out of the truck.

Max did the same, slamming the creaky door shut behind her. "Secret place? That sounds ominous."

"Just shut up and get your ass over here." Chloe grinned, grabbing Max's hand unexpectedly and pulling her up a nearby steep path that was signposted as a trail to the lighthouse. Max tried not to think about Chloe's slender fingers wrapped around hers as she scrambled to keep up with her.

Chloe began to pick up the pace, running up the path and laughing, dragging the already out of breath Max along beside her. "Hey, you have longer legs- this is so not fair!" Max whined.

This only made Chloe laugh even harder and run even faster. "C'mon slowpoke! We gotta get up there before the sun sets!" she shouted excitedly, her face eager and eyes dancing. Her expression alone gave Max the motivation to power through; she pumped her legs even faster to catch up, and the two girls sprinted the rest of the way up the trail, tripping over their own feet in haste and laughing loudly the whole time.

As they arrived at the top of the trail, Max didn't even have time to think about her burning legs or rapidly thumping heart- her breath was already taken away. In front of where the two girls were standing was a clearing overlooking the ocean and part of Arcadia. The sun was setting on the horizon, sinking into a bed of fire; burnt orange and violet and crimson colours blazing in the distance and casting strips of golden rays onto the vast ocean beyond it. The lighthouse loomed magnificently next to them, like a beacon of pride, protection, even hope. Max had never seen something so beautiful, so spectacular. She didn't even consider taking a photo. Instead, she bathed in the moment, letting it take her.

Out of the corner of her eye, she registered Chloe, stunned into silence by the breath-taking sight also. Her arms hung by her sides loosely, and for once she didn't have that self-assured, audacious, brazen look in her eyes or that teasing, cocky smirk playing on her lips. In fact, she looked kind of…young. Innocent. Sad. There was a hint of longing beyond her eyes, something that Max recognised, and was feeling herself too. There was something about sunsets, she believed, that made everyone feel slightly nostalgic, wistful for years gone by, a yearning to return to a time when everything was okay, when things were simple.

Suddenly Chloe looked at Max, her eyes still thoughtful and melancholy but the playful smirk returning to her lips. "So, what do you think Caulfield?"

"It's beautiful." Max whispered, her voice cracking embarrassingly from the exhaustion of running up the trail.

Instead of teasing her, the blue haired girl simply smiled. It was at that moment that Max realised they were still holding hands, and apparently Chloe did too, as she quickly pulled away, looking down at her boots and fidgeting with the stack of bracelets on her right wrist. If she didn't know any better, Max would say she was shy. It must have been her imagination, though, as a millisecond later Chloe looked up and grinned, sauntering over to the bench overlooking the cliff edge. Yeah, it must have been her imagination- _nothing_ about Chloe was shy.

Max followed her, sitting down beside her on the bench. She could feel the heat of Chloe's body radiating onto her, a pleasant warmth that was juxtaposed by the light, chilly breeze nipping around the cliffs edge. It was so peaceful and tranquil up here; she could understand why this was Chloe's 'secret' place; completely undisturbed by the rest of sucky Arcadia, this spot was like an oasis.

"Hey, take a picture of us Caulfield." Chloe instructed, budging closer to Max on the bench so that their arms and legs were touching. Max's breath hitched slightly for a second as she reached into her bag for her camera, but she attributed it to after-effects of that strenuous run up the trail.

"Say cheese!" Max said as she held up the camera, finger hovering over the button.

Chloe looped her long, skinny arm around the back of Max and let her fingers dangle on her bare upper arm. The skin on skin contact sent a jolt of electricity through Max and she almost dropped the camera, but quickly regained herself just in time.

"Giant dicks!" Chloe called in a sing song voice just as the camera snapped, flashed and took the photo. Max burst into laughter, elbowing the other girl in the ribs and causing her to yelp.

"You asshole! I probably look like a total doofus in that photo now." Max complained, giggling. She examined the photo as it developed; luckily, it hadn't captured her goofy laughing face, but rather the two of them beaming happily at the camera, their eyes lit up in that way one's face does right before laughing. They looked carefree, joyful- like they'd been best friends for years. It was weird, but it did kind of feel that way. Something about being with Chloe was just easy and natural; Max didn't really believe in fate, but if she did, she'd think that the two of them were almost destined to be friends. This was her second time seeing Chloe, and it felt like she'd known her for ages.

"So, no different to how you normally look then?" Chloe sniggered, elbowing Max right back. The pair laughed, and Chloe grabbed the photo, studying it with a smirk. "You look hella cute, nerd girl. Not remotely doofus-like."

Max's heart leapt at the word 'cute', but she smothered the feeling quickly, snatching the photo back. "Wish I could say the same for you." She quipped, surprised at her own wit. Deep inside, Max knew she was smart and witty and funny, yet somehow her personality always got lost between her heart and her mouth, and she found herself saying the wrong thing or more often than not, nothing at all. Being effortlessly confident was one of Max's perpetual challenges, yet Chloe seemed to do it so simply; she clearly had a knack for making people feel instantly at ease, an infinite sense charisma that Max had never and probably would never be able to reciprocate, something that just came naturally and could never be imitated.

Chloe snorted. "Oh how you wound me, Maximillian." Max laughed loudly at her new nickname, yet another one to add to the list of names Chloe had for her.

"Thank you for bringing me up here." She said after a few minutes of peaceful silence. "Really. It means a lot."

"Glad you like it." Chloe replied. "I always come out here when things get kinda shitty at home. Or when life gets shitty in general, which is frequently." Max noted a slight note of bitterness in her voice, but before she could question it, Chloe had already changed the subject- a tactic she seemed to be pretty good at. "Besides, I had to rescue you from that drooling puppy dog you were with earlier. You'd probably be spending your evening with him had your knight in shining armour not shown up to save the day."

"More like a knight in ripped jeans and Doc Martens." Max said, provoking another laugh from Chloe. "That was Warren, and he was totally not _drooling,_ by the way. And he is definitely not in love with me!"

"Please, that boy was looking at you like he was starving to death and you were the biggest, greasiest cheeseburger left on Earth."

"Warren is my friend!"

"Yeah, a friend he'd like to _bang_." Chloe smirked.

" _Gross._ " Max recoiled, nose wrinkling. Warren was kind, and kind of cute in a nerdy way, but the idea of the two of them… _banging_ made her feel more than a little queasy. "Warren's nice."

" _Nice?_ " Chloe snorted again. "Ouch. Friendzone alert."

"You're such a dork. But yeah, Warren is definitely in the friendzone."

Chloe turned so she was looking directly into Max's eyes. Max suddenly realised that she still had her arm around her, quickly becoming hyperaware of the close proximity of their bodies. Their faces were so close together that she only had to reach forward slightly and she could kiss her. Not that she wanted to! But-but she could.

"Good." Chloe murmured. "Look, we've only known each other for like three days, Max. But it's obvious you're a hella amazing person. Don't settle for someone just because they're nice."

Max cocked her head slightly in wonder; it was surprising to hear Chloe be so serious. "So who _should_ I settle for, guru Price?" she teased, eliciting a slow smile from the other girl.

"You shouldn't _settle_ for anyone. Love should be passionate, exciting, unpredictable…even a little dangerous. You should be with someone who makes you glad you're alive. Someone who you can't stand to be without, not even for a second." Chloe finished, a flash of surprise in her eyes making it evident that she hadn't planned to say all of that. Max was surprised too. Had Chloe ever been in love? From the way she talked, it sounded like she had. Maybe she still was.

Chloe suddenly moved her head and pulled back her arm, leaving Max with an empty, cold feeling where the comfort of her limb had been. "Oh, and someone who's extremely good in bed." Chloe added, the familiar tinge of joviality and sarcasm returning to her voice.

Max laughed, but this time it was half-hearted- she wanted to return to the sweet moment they'd just shared, but it was already slipping out of reach, too late to recover.

"Anyway, enough with the mushy shit. I guess you'd better get back to the dorms." Chloe stood up, stretching, her tank top lifting up slightly. Max stood also, her eyes hovering a moment too long on Chloe's exposed abs.

"Yeah. I guess so." Max said, trying not to sound too disappointed. Stupid Blackwell and their stupid fucking curfew.

"Hey, don't look so sad. We'll hang tomorrow." Chloe stated, and Max grinned, nodding eagerly. They stopped at the beginning of the trail down to the beach, and Chloe turned to her with a devilish smile. "Race you to the bottom?"

For a millisecond, Max paused. And then she was off, sprinting down the track as fast as her little legs could carry her. "HEY, FUCK YOU!" came Chloe's shout from behind her as she raced to catch up.

Almost choking on her laughter as she ran, a slow warmth spread throughout Max's body. This moment with Chloe- this was what happiness felt like.

 **A/N:** Sorry about the late upload! I've been swamped with school work. Hope you all enjoy this (as promised) hella Pricefield chapter! Thank you for all your sweet comments- it means so much to me that people are enjoying this story.


	4. Chapter 4

_Snap. Whirr._

Max pulled out the picture from the Polaroid, waving it around absentmindedly as it developed. Before her, the ocean shimmered in the sunlight as the distant crash of waves and the sound of wind rustling the leaves of the trees filled her ears, the perfect soundtrack to the morning. She closed her eyes and smiled, bathing her face in the warmth of the sunshine.

Max was back at Chloe's secret place, this time by herself. There was no better spot in the entirety of Arcadia to take sunrise photos; from here, she had an unparalleled view of the ocean. Looking down at the now developed photo, she knew she was right; in the picture the sun shone like a golden fireball on the horizon, the sky a milky blue colour, petal pink and soft lilac swirled in. It was different from last night's sunset-which was fierce and blazing like a phoenix- but it was still just as beautiful. Although Seattle was cool and hip and interesting, it was nothing compared to the natural beauty of Arcadia Bay. Max had forgotten how much she'd missed the fresh, unpolluted air, or the sea breeze, or the clear blue sky, uninterrupted by skyscrapers.

She strolled over to the bench that her and Chloe had sat on yesterday, putting the photo away in her bag. As she did so, her fingers brushed the two Polaroids she'd taken yesterday- Chloe in the truck and then the two of them together. She pulled them out, running the tips of her fingers over the smooth, glossy surface. First, she examined the photo of her and Chloe. They looked so happy- like true friends.

It felt _so good_ to finally call someone her friend. Even though Max barely knew anything about Chloe- not even her birthday- she felt like she truly did, like they were _connected._ Chloe was confident, and witty, and adventurous, and fearless- she brought Max out of her shell, made her feel kinda fearless too. She traced the spot where Chloe had sat yesterday with her fingers, running them over the worn varnished wood wistfully. Ever since last night when she had dropped her off at the dorms and the two had exchanged numbers with promises to see each other again the next day, a warm fizz of excitement had been bubbling in Max's chest, threatening to erupt like a Coke can after being shook too much.

Life suddenly felt good again. And it was all thanks to one girl. The past month at Blackwell had been shitty for Max; she had little friends, most people thought she was a nerd, Victoria tore her down whenever she had the chance…she'd come back to Arcadia expecting a fresh start, expecting her life to truly _begin_ , but instead the opposite had occurred. Even before returning, in Seattle, she never really fitted in. But now, things looked different; Chloe's sudden, unexpected yet entirely appreciated presence in her life was the reason. She felt lighter, happier, _alive_ , for the first time in what felt like forever.

And then there was that something else.

That other feeling. The one Max tried to bury. The one she'd been pushing to the back of her mind. The one that, if she pulled out and examined, she'd have no idea what to do with.

As she looked at the second photo, it blossomed in Max's chest again. In the picture, Chloe looked at the road, her face dappled by sunlight and lit up, a furrow of concentration visible in her forehead and a small smile on her lips, her eyes shining and heartbreakingly blue. Warmth rose through Max's body and ignited a deep blush in her cheeks. Even though there was no one around, she felt embarrassed. Why did Chloe make her feel like this? She barely knew her. There was no way that she was… _attracted_ to her, right?

Max rubbed her temple, feeling a stress headache coming on. Even though yesterday with Chloe had cast a spell of tranquillity over her, that one thing had been threatening to destroy the peace. In fact, it had been niggling at her mind ever since the two of them had met. She'd lain awake most of last night, unable to sleep, overthinking and overanalysing as per usual. Max had never liked girls in that way. Or…had she? She had had crushes on boys all throughout her life- even now at Blackwell there were some guys that she found cute (although the feeling wasn't reciprocated).

But Chloe…she couldn't ignore the feeling she got when she was with her. Butterflies. Shivers. Breathlessness. It was the same way she felt when she would watch Camp Rock over and over as a kid and Joe Jonas came on the screen (even with his Playmobil haircut and irritating voice, ten-year-old Max found him attractive). Or the way she felt when Brandon Johnson- the breathtakingly gorgeous boy who worked in her favourite coffee shop in Seattle- would briefly touch her hands when he served her a latte. Or in photography class here at Blackwell, when Mr Jefferson would smile at her when she got an answer right and she would feel like all the wind had been knocked out of her.

Yet somehow it was different with Chloe. More intense, more confusing- _definitely_ more confusing. Max had never considered herself anything other than straight. Was Chloe straight? For all Max knew, she might have a fucking _boyfriend_. But then there were the flirty comments, the offhand touching…or was it just her way of being friendly? Was she just a touchy-feely person? Max definitely needed to make a point of finding out more about her. Chloe had a way of simultaneously seeming like the most open, upfront person in the world, yet also the most private. There was a mystery to her that was maddening yet enticing.

 _Buzzzz._

Max pulled out her vibrating phone, slipping the photos back into her bag carefully. A text from Chloe lit up the screen, and her heart clenched in her chest. She bit her lip and again, pushed away the feeling.

 **Wakey wakey, nerd girl! Actually, ur probably awake doing homework already, loooooser. Just kiddin! Meet me at Two Whales diner in 20, let's eat xoxoxoxo**

Max grinned. Two Whales Diner served the best damn burgers in all Arcadia; it was probably the place she'd missed the most whilst being in Seattle (which, thinking about it, was actually quite sad). She checked the time on her phone- 8:45am.

 **You read my mind. Is it too early for a burger? Xx**

Seconds later, a response came through.

 **Never 2 early. They do breakfast burgers. See u ASAP. Xoxo**

 **I'm there. See u soon : - ) xx**

 **NO EMOJI! XO**

Max laughed aloud at the message. She should have guessed emojis would drive non-conformist, anti-mainstream Chloe up the wall. Quickly gathering her stuff, she took one last look at her beautiful surroundings before turning back to head down the trail. Two Whales was a good fifteen-minute walk, but she didn't mind. It would give her time to think- and boy, she needed to think.

As soon as Max entered Two Whales Diner, the oh-so-familiarly delicious scent of waffles and fried food and good coffee hit her directly in the face, enveloping her with warmth like a blanket. Her mouth salivated and her stomach rumbled loudly as a waitress with a plate of eggs and bacon sauntered past her; she hadn't had any breakfast and she was fucking _starving._

Looking around, it was apparent that Chloe wasn't there yet, so Max went and took a seat in a worn but comfy leather booth near the window at the back of the diner. Looking around she noticed Trevor and Justin, two skater, stoner buddies from Blackwell, in one of the booths near the door. They were both cute, especially Trevor; he had that easy-going, dimpled smile that most girls go crazy for. Like he'd ever paid any attention to Max, though. Besides, she had heard rumours that he was hooking up with Dana, an overwhelmingly popular and gorgeous, yet surprisingly sweet cheerleader who lived in her dorm. Max kind of wished that she was more friendly with the girls in her dorm; she knew Kate Marsh, (the super sweet yet quiet religious girl, who was also victim to the Vortex Club's harassment) Juliet Watson, (Max didn't know much about her apart from that she was completely boy-obsessed, always hanging on the arm of some obnoxious jock) Stella Hill, (a pretty, uber-intelligent photography whiz who always had her nose in a book) and of course Victoria and her posse. Then there were a couple other girls that that Max didn't know too well. She tried her best, but socialising was a pretty daunting prospect; everyone already had their little cliques, and she was terrified of being rejected. That was why meeting Chloe had been so life-changing.

Speak of the devil. The door of the diner swung open dramatically, and Max looked up to see Chloe sauntering in, her hair partially hidden behind the usual beanie and her body clad in black ripped jeans, a matching leather jacket, a white tank top with a red 'A' emblazoned across it- the anarchy symbol, of _course_ \- and her big chunky boots that always made her sound like she stomped around everywhere. Actually, maybe she did.

Max watched as Chloe stopped and fist-bumped Trevor and Justin, her heart pounding in her ears, anticipating the moment she would look over at her. Chloe chatted easily with the two boys for a minute, despite tapping her fingers on their table as if impatient for them to hurry up and finish talking. When they did she turned around, eyes scanning the diner, searching. Was that a hint of worry Max saw beneath them? Finally, her eyes settled on Max and instantly lit up; she grinned playfully before sauntering over to the booth. Max's heart soared uncontrollably in her chest, and she was instantly worried that her face gave away what she was feeling. Wait, what _was_ she feeling?

"Hollaaaa, Caulfield!" Chloe called, reaching over to Max for a high five. The two slapped palms and Chloe turned towards the jukebox in the corner, which was blaring a twangy country song, a look of her distaste on her face. "What is this shit they're playing?" She strode up to the rusty old thing and seconds later a much heavier punk-rock anthem blasted from the speakers. Max smiled as Chloe returned with a much more content expression slapped across her face; her eyes travelled over the blue haired girls body as she swung herself deftly into the booth, all long limbs and casual, effortless movements. Chloe was a good five inches taller than Max, aided by her boots, and Max liked her lanky, slender figure. Although beside her, it was kinda hard not to feel like a tiny hobbit.

"Careful, you might give a few of those old truckers a heart attack with your choice of music." Max joked.

"You say that like it's a bad thing. Maybe we need some excitement around here." Chloe retorted, winking devilishly to show she was kidding.

"You're sick." Max laughed, picking up a menu and swatting her with it.

"Oh, you love it. So, what are we dining on this fine morning?"

Max folded the menu, passing it to Chloe. She had already decided long ago what she was eating. "Breakfast burger with extra bacon and a chocolate shake. Duh."

Chloe grinned, placing the menu back on the table without a glance. "Great minds think alike."

"Well, look who it is." To their right, a middle-aged, small-ish waitress with auburn hair and a kind-eyed yet tight-lipped face strolled up to their table, a pitcher of coffee in her hand. "Chloe, I thought you told me you were going to help mow the lawn today. What are you doing hanging about here, huh?" said the woman in a slow Southern drawl.

"Nice to see you too, mom. I'll do the fucking lawn later, okay?" Chloe snapped, a stormy expression clouding her face. Max looked between the two of them as they glared at each other, completely bewildered, before Chloe nodded at her. "Max, this is my mom, Joyce. Mom this is my friend Max Caulfield."

Joyce turned to Max, blinking with surprise as she slowly apprehended her. A slow, kind smile spread across her lips. "Well hello Max. I've not seen you before."

"O-oh, I'm uh- I'm new to Arcadia. Well, not new- I did live here five years ago, but I moved away. Chloe and I have only been friends a couple of days." Max stammered, suddenly nervous. She hadn't planned on meeting Chloe's mom today, funnily enough. She hoped she hadn't already made a bad impression as the girl who was corrupting Chloe and pulling her away from her chores.

"And what do you do, Max?"

"Oh, I'm a student at Blackwell Academy. I've been there for about a month."

Joyce raised an eyebrow, looking at Chloe, then back at Max. "So how exactly did you two meet? Chloe doesn't go to school anymore."

"Mom, can you please stop with the interrogation? We're hungry." Chloe interrupted, her voice harsh and annoyed.

Joyce sighed heavily and began pouring two cups of coffee. "Okay, okay. What would you like, Max?"

Max said her order, and Joyce smiled at her kindly. "Good choice, hun. Same for you Chloe?"

"Sure." Joyce nodded and patted Chloe on the shoulder before retreating back to the kitchen. Chloe rolled her eyes and sighed. "Sorry about that. She just loves to lay it on me first thing in the morning."

"No, it's okay. Your mom seems really nice." Max replied warily, cautious of pissing Chloe off more than she already was.

"She can be. When she's not in one of her ' _let's shit on Chloe'_ moods," Chloe muttered, fiddling with the bracelets on her wrist. There were a few seconds of tense silence, in which Max didn't quite know what to do or say, and then Chloe picked up her coffee cup and took a sip, letting out a small moan. "This. Coffee. Is hella fucking good."

Max quickly took a gulp to distract herself from the way Chloe's moan instantly made her palms sweat and stomach hot, burning her throat in the process. "Yeah, it's great." She winced, trying to subdue the pain by swallowing repeatedly.

"I know, I know, you're probably a major coffee snob after living in Seattle. Bet this takes like instant shit to you, huh?" Chloe cocked her head and flicked Max on the wrist with her finger.

Max rolled her eyes good-naturedly and flipped Chloe off, earning a small chuckle. "Please, it's not like I'm some hipster coffee-connoisseur. In fact, this probably beats the stuff they have in Seattle."

Chloe snorted incredulously. "Somebody wants a free breakfast."

Max dipped her finger into her coffee, flicking droplets of the beverage at Chloe who squealed and ducked, shielding her face. The two of them engaged in coffee-flicking for a couple of minutes, giggling loudly – much to the annoyance of the other customers- before Joyce returned with two piping hot, completely magnificent looking plates of food.

"Hey, quit mucking around with my coffee you two! This isn't a playground." Joyce scolded, her voice stern but her eyes smiling. Max and Chloe muttered their apologies before immediately biting into the breakfast burger, which was salty and greasy and completely fucking delicious.

"This is _incredible_ Joyce." Max murmured through a mouth full of food, closing her eyes in pleasure.

Beside her, Joyce chuckled. "I'm glad you like it sweetheart. Listen, I've gotta get back to work- I'll see you at home, Chloe. And I expect that lawn to be mown!"

Chloe waved her hand dismissively as Joyce walked away, too busy scarfing down her own burger to reply. For the next minute or so, the only sounds present were their mouths smacking as they chewed and the occasional appreciative moan.

Max finally finished her food, leaning back against her seat and rubbing her incredibly full, food-baby belly. Chloe did the same, burping loudly and causing the heads of several annoyed diners to swivel in their direction. Max giggled- that girl really did not give a fuck. "I think I may have died and gone to heaven." She murmured, slightly exhausted from the minute of intense chewing.

Chloe nodded in agreement, leaning forward and accidentally pulling her tank top down so it exposed more of her chest. Max made a point of focusing on her face, trying to ignore the view of Chloe's black lacy bra she now had. "So, I was thinking last night. And I realised- we actually don't know that much about each other."

Max blinked in astonishment. She had been thinking the exact same thing! "Me too!" she said excitedly, involuntarily mirroring Chloe's body language and leaning forward too.

"Well, it's about time we change that." Chloe declared firmly, before hopping out of the booth and standing up, holding her hand out to Max.

Max stared at her open palm, then at her looming figure in confusion. "Where are we going?"

"My house- to my bedroom. If you're gonna get to know me, that's the best place to start, right?"

Max swallowed. She wanted to go- she wanted to go _so badly_ , but…that was Chloe's bedroom. It was intimate, personal. ' _And it has a bed in,'_ she thought, then immediately reprimanded herself. It wasn't like they were going to be doing anything _in_ the fucking bed. What the hell was wrong with her?

"Let's go." She stated determinedly, smiling at Chloe who smirked and grabbed her hand, pulling her up out of her seat so fast she almost knocked over the half-empty cup of coffee on the table. She tossed a couple of bills on the table carelessly and then turned to Max, grinning.

"C'mon." She said simply, and the two of them ran out of the diner into the shining autumn-morning sunlight. A heady daze of excitement and anticipation surrounded Max as she ran; she felt like Chloe was always on the go, always moving, not stopping for anyone- it was refreshing, not knowing what was next or what to expect.

As the two of them piled into the truck, she watched as Chloe effortlessly navigated the control system and started the car, glancing across at Max for a second and raising an eyebrow. "Ready?"

"Ready."


	5. Chapter 5

"And _this_ is where the magic happens." Chloe declared with a flourish, kicking open the door to her room melodramatically and sauntering in.

Max followed her in cautiously, eyes widening as she took in her surroundings. Compared to the rest of Chloe's neat, perfectly ordinary suburban house, her room looked straight out of another world- the American nightmare versus the dream. Clothes were strewn across the floor, junk cluttered every available surface, and the walls were adorned with magazine cuttings, photos and racy pictures of half-naked punk girls. Kurt Cobain's haunting, spaced-out eyes bore down on Max from a huge Nirvana poster above Chloe's bed, a beautiful print of the Los Angeles skyline at dusk beside it. Huge black graffiti covered what little space there was left on the walls, phrases like ' **JUST GOTTA LET GO'** , ' **EVERYBODY LIES, NO EXCEPTIONS'** and ' **FUCK YOU'** printed in bold capitals. Max winced at the pessimistic words; Chloe's life was clearly as chaotic as her room. By her feet, a cardboard box bursting with old papers and grade reports sat next to an opened suitcase filled with empty beer bottles and dozens of cigarette butts. Two papers in the box glared up at Max; one was an essay marked ' **28/3/2009** ' which had earnt an A. The other was a grade report from Blackwell from earlier this year, right before Chloe got kicked out; not a single grade was any higher than an F. At the bottom a teacher had written ' ** _Chloe is an incredibly intelligent student. Unfortunately, she has chosen to neglect her studies and instead seems to be focusing on_** ** _getting into as much trouble as possible. As her teacher, I believe reformatory school is the best option for someone like Chloe_** _.'_ Her nose wrinkled in disdain- _someone like Chloe_? What a condescending asshole. Below the teacher's note, someone (obviously Chloe) had scrawled ' _Fuck you!'_ in marker pen. Max smiled. Right on, Chloe.

"Woah, you look kinda traumatised Caulfield. I know my room's no palace, but is it really that bad?" Chloe questioned jokingly, flopping down on the double bed and stretching out her long limbs.

"N-no! It's-it's great."

Chloe snorted. "You don't have to be nice. I know it's a shit tip."

"No, it's not. I like it. It's…a beautiful mess. In the nicest way possible." Max wasn't lying. Even though it was completely disordered, she liked Chloe's room. It suited her- unconventional, bold, alternative…beautiful.

"A beautiful mess." Chloe echoed thoughtfully. "Huh. I like that. You're quite the poet, Caulfield. It's kinda fitting, I guess- you do share a last name with one of literature's greatest heroes."

Max's eyes widened in surprise. "You've read Catcher in the Rye?"

Chloe chuckled. "Don't sound so surprised- contrary to popular opinion, I'm not a total dumbass."

Max immediately regretted her words, blushing in embarrassment. "Sorry, I didn't mean it like that- I just didn't know you were into reading."

"And that's exactly why I brought you here. So you can find out what I'm into. And I can find out what _you're_ into." Chloe winked, waggling her eyebrows suggestively. Max's heart skipped a beat; she suddenly felt all naked and exposed. Chloe had a knack of making her feel like that- it was unnerving and exciting all at the same time. "C'mon, sit." The blue haired girl patted the bed, and Max slowly walked over and perched awkwardly on the edge, hesitant to make herself comfy like Chloe. She always had this dilemma when visiting other people's houses; she never knew where to sit or how to act.

Chloe noticed her gawkiness and laughed, pulling Max over so that they were both laying down on one side, propping their heads up with their elbows and facing each other. Max blushed even harder; now she had to look at her face on- Chloe's ocean blue eyes pierced her own, only exacerbating her feeling of vulnerability and nakedness.

For a moment, Chloe just stared at her, her eyes travelling over her face with an unreadable expression. To quell her beating heart and slightly sticky palms, Max broke the silence. "Why don't we play a game?"

"A game? Ooh la la, sounds dirty. I'm in." Chloe smirked, eyes playful and dancing.

"Let's keep it PG-13, perv. I'll say something like 'Favourite song?' and then we'll both answer, taking it in turns to ask the question. By the end of the game we'll hopefully know a bit more about each other."

"Okay, I'll start," Chloe grinned. "Favourite sex position?"

Max's mouth dropped open in astonishment and she promptly burst into laughter, shoving Chloe who was also cackling like a hyena. "I said keep it PG-13!"

"It was worth it to see your face." Chloe snickered, imitating Max's expression of shock. "But just in case you wanted to know? Mine's up against the wall." She flashed her eyebrows seductively, and Max's heart immediately dropped to her stomach, emotions she couldn't quite decipher prickling her skin and a warmth pooling in her gut.

Swallowing the feeling desperately, she shoved Chloe again who cried out in protest. "I _so_ did not need to know that!"

"So you think. Okay, okay- I'll be serious. Favourite…ice cream flavour?"

"Mint chocolate chip, duh. You?"

Chloe eyes lit up in surprise. "Me too! We're more alike than I thought, Maxi pad."

Max laughed. "Maxi pad, really? You're such a freak. Okay, favourite movie?"

"Oh, that's easy- _Donnie Darko_."

"I love that movie! Mine's _Empire Strikes Back_ \- can't resist a classic sci-fi."

"Won't argue with you there. Favourite food? And don't you dare say something fucking weird like sushi, or I will kill you."

Max wrinkled her nose in disgust. "Hell no! Burger and fries all the way. You?"

"Pizza, hands down. Guess our food tastes aren't too refined, huh?" Chloe joked.

"Well, we do live in America. Not exactly known for its fine cuisine. Favourite colour? Wait, let me guess- black like your soul?" Max giggled as Chloe smacked her arm in response.

"Fuck off, I'm not a total emo." She protested. "For your information, it's actually silver. And yours?"

"Blue." The word slipped out of Max's mouth before she could stop it. Chloe raised an eyebrow, an amused smile spreading across her lips. Great. Now it looked like Max was totally fucking obsessed with her. Blue wasn't even her favourite colour- it had always been purple. But…maybe it was now. Did that have something to do with Chloe?!

"Interesting. Guess you like my hair, then." Chloe smirked, looking directly at Max in a way that made her feel like Chloe knew exactly what she was thinking. She looked away quickly, fumbling with a loose thread on the bedspread.

"It's cool." She said, trying to sound as casual as possible.

"You're cute, nerd girl. Okaaay, favourite song?"

" _Yellow_ by Coldplay. 100%." Max answered immediately.

Chloe nodded in approval. "What, no Elliot Smith? Don't you brooding hipster types all worship him?"

"Shut _up!_ You make it sound like I'm some Urban Outfitters toting, new-age hippie."

"Well you _do_ own a Polaroid." Chloe retorted, giggling.

"Hey, at least I know how to use it!"

Chloe studied Max, the cocky smirk on her lips replaced by a genuine smile for a moment. "You do. You're a hella incredible photographer."

Max's heart fluttered; she felt ready to burst with pride at the other girl's praise. Those words would have meant a lot coming from _anyone,_ but because Chloe had said them- well, it made them extra special. "Thank you," she said softly, smiling back. For several seconds, the two girls simply looked at each other. Max had never realised before what it felt like to get lost in someone's eyes, but she understood now; Chloe's eyes were not only the colour of the ocean, but they possessed its extraordinary depth, too.

"So." Chloe stated breezily, shattering the moment- much to Max's dismay. "Bet you can't guess what my favourite song is."

Max remembered the Nirvana poster near the bed. " _Smells like Teen Spirit?_ "

Chloe made a buzzer noise. "Wrong! That's not even my favourite Nirvana song. Way too mainstream."

"And you call _me_ the hipster?" Max grumbled good-naturedly.

Chloe grinned. "There's a CD in the box near my bed. Put it in the stereo- this song is gonna change your life, Caulfield." She instructed, shifting onto her back and reaching for the ashtray on the small table beside her bed.

Max stood up, stretching her slightly sore limbs. All that running yesterday had been a shock to her exercise-hating system. "A CD? Retro. You got a typewriter hidden somewhere around here too?" she teased.

"Shut up and put the song on, smartass."

"What did your last slave die of?" Max jibed, earning an eye roll from Chloe.

"Do you mind if I smoke this, by the way?" The blue-haired girl asked, dangling a small packet of a green, herby looking substance between her fingers. Marijuana.

 _Oh_. So Chloe did drugs. Max wasn't sure why she was surprised, or why it suddenly felt like her heart was made of lead. She prayed that she only smoked weed. The thought of her doing anything harder, anything truly dangerous…it was scary. And kind of heart-breaking. "U-uh, yeah. Sure. Go ahead."

Chloe raised an eyebrow doubtfully. "Are you sure?"

"I'm sure. Don't mind me." Max said firmly. She didn't mind, not really, although she kinda hoped it wouldn't affect her too. Could you get high from second-hand smoke? She was sure that if she got stoned in front of Chloe she'd probably end up completely embarrassing herself by saying or doing something stupid- not to mention the fact that she had to go back to Blackwell by the end of the day. If she was caught intoxicated then she was 100% sure Principal Wells would kick her out, no fucks given.

"Awesome." Chloe said, lighting up and puffing out a huge cloud of smoke. The odd, skunky smell instantly hit Max's nostrils, and she turned away, bending down to try and locate the CD. With the amount of random stuff on the floor, finding it was like looking for a needle in a haystack. Thankfully, she spotted the edge of a metallic grey box peeking out beneath the tartan blanket on Chloe's bed. She pulled it out, opened it, and removed the battered CD, which was resting atop a pile of scraps of paper, photos, and other junk.

Just as Max was about to close the box, she noticed something familiar. Rachel Amber's smouldering, gorgeous face was smiling up at her; a photo of her was in the box, partially covered by a Target receipt. Max picked it up, completely transfixed. The receipt fluttered away and revealed the second person in the photo- Chloe. She was glaring at the camera stonily, holding her middle finger up, her hair an even deeper and brighter shade of blue- although, it was obvious from the way her eyes were smiling and the corners of her mouth were turned up that her angry expression was only a pretence for the camera. Next to her, Rachel beamed happily; her silky dark blonde hair was pulled to one side, exposing a long turquoise feather earring- almost the same shade of blue as Chloe's hair- and her mysterious hazel eyes glowed seductively. Even in the photo, she radiated confidence and charm. Max studied her face in awe; she looked joyful, young, _alive_...beautiful.

"Hey, give me that!" snapped Chloe, startling Max so much that her legs gave way from the crouched position they were in and she plonked down on the hard wooden floor ass-first, with a loud yelp.

"S-sorry!" she stammered, cheeks instantly turning beet-red as she scrambled to stand up. Chloe snatched the photo from her now-sweaty fingers, an irritated expression clouding her face. Max swallowed hard, heart pounding. _Fuck._ She'd really pissed Chloe off. Why had she been so goddamn nosy?! "I'm really sorry. I-I just saw Rachel's face, and I've been hearing so much about her at school- but it's no excuse, I shouldn't have been snooping…"

"Max." Chloe said, cutting off her ramble. "It's okay. Sorry I snapped at you, I'm not angry."

A wave of relief crashed through Max's body, her heartbeat slowing to a steady pace. "I'm sorry, again."

Chloe smiled up at her, her eyes thoughtful. "Stop apologising Caulfield- it's all cool. It's just…Rachel meant a lot to me. This photo is one of the few that I have of us together- that's why I kinda flipped out. It's just…personal."

Max sat down tentatively beside Chloe on the bed, watching her as she looked at the picture; her eyes were sad and troubled, her mouth a flat line of despondence- she looked upset. It was clear that her and Rachel had been incredibly close. Max wanted to know more, but she was scared of overstepping her boundaries. Cautiously, she opened her mouth to speak. "Was Rachel…a good friend?"

"That's putting it mildly." Chloe muttered, still staring at the photo, running her finger delicately over the smooth glossy surface of Rachel's face. "Rachel was…my angel. When I met her, I-I was in a really bad place. She saved my life." Max blinked in surprise. She had already guessed that Chloe's life wasn't all roses, but it sounded a lot more serious than she'd expected. Suddenly, Chloe twisted round so that she was sitting cross-legged, facing Max. As the two of them looked at each other, it was obvious from Chloe's expression that she wasn't used to talking about this. Involuntarily, Max leant forward and touched her arm gently. It seemed to reassure Chloe, who gave her a small smile.

"Max, do you see that picture on the wall just there?" Chloe asked, pointing to a Polaroid photo to their right. Max peered at it; it was a picture of a small girl with long strawberry blonde hair and porcelain skin beaming up at a tall, handsome man with dark auburn hair and a jovial, smiling face. They were both wearing flour-covered aprons, their arms wrapped around each other and mouths wide with laughter. Max recognised the background of the photo; Chloe's kitchen- she'd seen it briefly earlier when Chloe had grabbed them both a soda. That meant the girl in the picture was _her_ \- Max could hardly believe it, she looked so _different._ Young, and innocent.

"That's-that's my dad," Chloe continued. "He died when I was fourteen."

Instantly, Max's heart plummeted to her feet. ' _Oh my god,'_ she thought to herself. ' _Poor, poor Chloe.'_ "I'm so sorry." She whispered, her hand flying to her mouth in shock. "I can't even imagine how awful that must have been."

"It was just a normal day. H-he was just going to pick my mom up, he said that he would be back. A truck cut him off and he lost control of the car. It went into a ditch. And…that was it. The doctors, they-they said that there was nothing they could do." Chloe explained, her voice cracking slightly, heavy with emotion. Max felt sick; she couldn't even begin to imagine how heart-breaking it must have been for Chloe. "After that, I just kinda…lost it. I felt completely alone. And then a year later my mom married my asshole of a stepfather, which only made things worse. To say we don't get along is a fucking understatement. So I started acting out- I cut my hair, stopped doing any work in school, started doing drugs, smoking, drinking…the whole lot. I was on the verge of giving up completely when I met Rachel."

A single tear rolled down Chloe's face, and she quickly wiped it away, embarrassed. Max was trembling; it pained her to hear about Chloe's past, how close she had been to…she didn't even want to think about it. It was too horrible. "Chloe, I had no idea," Max said gently. "I'm so sorry. What…what was Rachel like?"

Chloe smiled wistfully. "She was amazing. Smart, sexy and sassy…no matter what, she always had my back. We were gonna kick the world's ass. Get the hell out of here and move to Los Angeles. She loved modelling- she wanted to be a star. That was her plan. Our plan."

"So…what happened to her?" Max asked timidly. Chloe's voice was tinged with deep-rooted affection and admiration; she talked about Rachel like she was more than human- a goddess, even.

"She just disappeared. Six months ago, she left Arcadia. Without a word…without me." The sense of betrayal in Chloe's voice was evident; she'd not only been abandoned by her father, but Rachel as well. Max couldn't believe it- she had no idea her life was this tumultuous.

"Do you think something happened to her? Maybe she just wanted to start a new life, y'know?" Max suggested, trying to stay optimistic. It was too scary to consider the other possibility, that Rachel was…gone.

"No." Chloe stated vehemently, her voice intensely defensive. Max recoiled slightly at her tone, and the other girl seemed to notice, because she touched her knee apologetically. "Sorry. But she would have told me. We were so close. We were…we were more than friends."

 _More than friends?_ What did _that_ mean? Maybe Chloe had just meant they were really close, like the bestest of friends. Or maybe, maybe they had been together? As in…girlfriends? The way Chloe had spoken about love yesterday, it had sounded like she'd experienced it. And maybe she had- with Rachel. Yet Max was surprised, not just at the prospect of Chloe being gay, but at the twinge of jealousy that plucked at her heart strings.

Chloe laughed suddenly, loud and bright. "We could talk for hours about the dumbest shit. She had- _has_ \- this huge obsession with star signs. Man, she really believed in that bullshit. She always said we were destined for each other because our signs are compatible. I laughed at her at the time, but it rubbed off on me. I check my damn horoscope every morning now."

Max giggled. "She sounds fun."

"You got that right. She always managed to drag me along with her crazy-ass ideas. We did the _craziest_ shit together- getting drunk at school, mooning school buses…we must've pranked literally every teacher at Blackwell. I can't even count the amount of illegal shit we got up to." Chloe turned so she was laying on her back, staring up at her walls with a nostalgic smile stretching from ear to ear. Max watched her, an odd mixture of emotions sprouting in her chest. Confusion as to what Chloe and Rachel were, contentment as she watched Chloe smile and laugh as she recalled her hooligan past, and envy…because she wished she'd had a friend like Chloe to experience those sort of things with. It was just starting to hit her how alone she'd been the past few years; she'd never had a best friend, not really. No one to fight for her, to make her laugh until she cried, to wipe her tears when she _did_ cry- no one to love her unconditionally and without judgement.

For a moment she felt like she might cry, but Chloe's voice- thankfully- thwarted her imminent tears. "Are you okay, Max? I'm not boring you, am I?" She sounded slightly self-conscious, which was completely out-of-character, but nevertheless completely endearing.

Max smiled sadly. "No, definitely not. Just thinking about how much of a badass you are- you don't own a Harley Davidson as well, by any chance?" she joked.

"Please, my truck is more badass than some lame old motorbike." Chloe snickered, winking.

Max chuckled, and there were a few seconds of silence. Except it wasn't awkward; it felt comfortable, like they didn't need to talk, they could just be together. Max got the feeling that Chloe was thinking about Rachel, and she didn't want to interrupt. ' _I guess we got to know each other more than I expected,'_ she thought with a smile.

"Hey- I never showed you my favourite song!" Chloe remarked, sitting up slightly with an adorable dazed expression on her face.

"I'll put it on." Max reassured her, reaching for the forgotten CD which had fallen to the floor after she had discovered the photo. Strolling over to the stereo, she popped in the disc and turned up the volume. The familiar sounds of a guitar being strummed filled the room, followed by a man's soft, melancholy voice. Max's head swivelled round to Chloe instantly in astonishment, her mouth forming a small, surprised 'O' shape.

" _Crosses._ José González. _This_ is your favourite song?" she exclaimed incredulously.

"Did you expect it to be some punk-rock thrasher?"

"Well, yeah." Max admitted. "I…I _love_ this song. It's beautiful."

"Good music taste. I like that in a woman." Chloe simpered, raising her eyebrow seductively. Max's chest clenched; was Chloe just naturally flirtatious, or did it mean something more?

Max walked back to the bed slowly, sitting back down and chewing her lip, feeling weirdly nervous for some reason. Suddenly, she felt a cool, soft hand on her bare arm. Beside her, Chloe looked up at her with her chillingly big blue eyes. In this light, they looked slightly green, too- flecks of jade, violet and even silver swirled into the overwhelmingly blue ocean.

"Hey. Lie with me?" Chloe whispered softly, patting the space beside her. It was weird to see the usually completely unafraid, fierce girl suddenly so vulnerable and exposed. Max liked it, though. As attractive as she found Chloe's brazen, confident personality, it was heart-warming to see her with her guard down. The feeling- the one that had been slowly growing in her chest and stomach all morning- bubbled and spilt over, warmth traveling up and down her body at lightening pace.

"Sure." She replied, scooting further onto the bed and lying down on her back next to Chloe. Their bodies were so close that their bare forearms and fingertips were touching, the skin-on-skin contact sending jolts of electricity through Max's body. She prayed that Chloe couldn't hear her heart pounding against her chest, or feel the way her left leg was trembling incessantly.

If she did, though, she didn't comment. The two of them laid in that comfortable silence, basking in the warmth of the sunlight spilling in from the window near Chloe's desk, the soothing sounds of ' _Crosses'_ drifting from the stereo. Max had never felt more content in her whole life than she did in that moment, the air warm and heavy and the faint scent of pot, tobacco and- oddly- vanilla tickling her nostrils.

"I'm glad we met each other, Max." Chloe murmured sleepily beside her. Max smiled. It felt heart-warming that Chloe was as happy to be here as she was. This was the start of something good- she could feel it in her bones.

"Me too."


	6. Chapter 6

'… _all over the boulevard, the streets outside your window over flooded'_

Max awoke with a jolt, eyes snapping open. What happened? Where the fuck was she? A hazy, foggy blur obscured her vision and she rubbed her eyes dazedly-for one horrible, confused moment she was sure she was blind. As she moved her hands away and lifted her head slightly, though, things began snapping into focus; a dusty, old school TV. A string of fairy lights. A poster of a pouting, half-naked Ruby Rose. A bed. On the bed, a pair of jean-clad legs. Two pairs of jean-clad legs.

Max whipped her head around to see Chloe laid beside her, asleep, mouth slightly parted and her left arm draped over Max's stomach. ' _I'm at Chloe's. We must have fallen asleep,'_ Max realised, her heart beginning to thump as she noticed how close the two girls' bodies were and how her T-shirt had ridden up slightly in her sleep, so Chloe's palm was resting on her bare stomach. _Crosses_ drifted from the stereo in the corner; it had clearly been playing on repeat since they'd fallen asleep. Wait, how long _had_ they been asleep? Max glanced at her watch; 2:30pm. Damn, she didn't realise she was that tired. Chloe's room was so relaxing, though; the way the American flag hanging over the window cast a soft red-blue light across the room and the sounds of the peaceful, distant music echoing in the background, everything so quiet and serene- ironic, as Chloe was the complete opposite.

She looked back at the blue-haired girl nervously, her heart melting a little as she studied her sleeping face. She looked so beautiful when she slept; her cheeks were slightly flushed and her beanie had slipped off, revealing her cute, mussed up hair. Max observed how it was a slightly pink-auburn colour at the roots; her natural strawberry blonde colour was obviously trying to come through-that little imperfection only making her hair prettier. ' _I like it when you sleep for you are so beautiful yet so unaware of it'_. The title of The 1975's second album suddenly popped into Max's head; before now, she'd never understood the phrase or why they had chosen to name their album that, deeming it silly and pretentious. But now she got it. How incredible it was to watch someone sleep, with them so oblivious to how beautiful they looked. Her heart beat a little bit faster as she watched Chloe's adorably innocent face and for what felt like the millionth time, that warm, fuzzy feeling returned- or maybe it had never left.

Suddenly, Chloe stirred, making a small noise and shifting her body. Her eyes fluttered open and squinted at Max with confusion, as if trying to work out who she was. "Wakey wakey, sleepyhead." Max whispered gently, smiling at her dazed face.

"Mrgmfff." Chloe muttered groggily before blinking hard and then lifting her head up slightly, appearing to be entering a more coherent state. "Did you bore me to sleep, Caulfield?" she joked sleepily, smirking.

"Fuck off." Max giggled, flicking Chloe's shoulder. "You haven't been awake two seconds and you're already being a smartass."

"Can't help myself," Chloe responded, then noticed her hand still resting on Max's stomach. She quickly removed it, laughing awkwardly. "Oops, sorry Caulfield. Didn't mean to molest you up in your sleep."

Max peered at her. Was she blushing? "Don't lie- you totally brought me here to get me unconscious and take advantage of me." she said, totally deadpan.

If Chloe was embarrassed, she didn't show it. "Oh my! How could you accuse me of such preposterous things Miss Caulfield?" She cried theatrically, gasping and feigning mock-disgust.

Max snorted with laughter. "I cannot take you seriously whilst you're pulling that face."

"What _ever_ do you mean Miss Caulfield?" Chloe protested in a breathy, faux Southern-Belle accent, raising her eyebrows and pouting her lips in an attempt to look like Marylin Monroe- except it just made her look hilariously constipated instead.

Max shook with laughter. "Seriously stop, I'm gonna wet myself!"

Chloe grinned devilishly, shifting towards Max on the bed with a dangerously mischievous look on her face. "Oh, really?"

 _Oh no._ Even though they had only been friends a couple days, Max already knew that look meant trouble. "Chloe, what are you doing? Why are you pulling that face?"

Chloe simply grinned, lifted her hand, and- with a fiendish cackle- began aggressively tickling Max's arms and torso. Max immediately screamed, flailing and wiggling about desperately to try and escape. "No Chloe! Please! Please stop- I'm gonna pee myself! CHLOE STOP I'M GONNA PEE MYSELF!" She choked out in between giggles, earning a merciless laugh from Chloe who simply upped the ante, pulling her towards her and tickling behind her ears and her neck also.

After about thirty seconds of frantic struggling and fits of laughter, Max finally got free and managed to pin the taller girl down, hovering over her with a victorious grin on her face. "HAH. Don't mistake my height for weakness, Price." She declared triumphantly.

"Okay, okay! I accept defeat at your hands, Mad Max. Now let go of my arms, you're about to break my wrists." Chloe pleaded. Max let go- not before pinching her on the inside of her wrists, earning a yelp from the other girl- and flopped down beside her on the bed in exhaustion. The two sat in silence for a few minutes, giggling occasionally, and then Chloe twisted herself to face Max.

"Damn, Caulfield. I'm shocked- I didn't know you were so dominant. Hella kinky." She teased, raising an eyebrow tauntingly.

"Shut up!"

"What? It was hot." Chloe said, her expression suddenly serious. Max's heart clenched- was she kidding? The two shared an intense look, and for one moment- one terrifyingly thrilling moment- she was sure Chloe was going to kiss her.

Then Chloe's face cracked and she burst into laughter, echoed half-heartedly by Max. She felt slightly empty; her and Chloe kept having those weird, intense moments that were gone just as fast as they came- she didn't know what they meant, or even if they meant anything at all. _'Chill, Max,'_ she reassured herself internally. ' _You're just getting to know each other. It's probably nothing'._ But…did she want it to be _something_?

"I can never tell if you're being serious or not." Max protested, giggling and rolling her eyes.

"Part of my charm," Chloe waggled her eyebrows and then suddenly moved her hand towards Max, moving a stray piece of hair that had fallen into her eyes. Max sucked in her breath, a cold sweat flourishing in her palms. As she moved her hand away, Chloe casually brushed the backs of her knuckles against Max's hair, her fingertips just grazing her fiery red cheek. It was the most intimate gesture that Max had ever experienced, and she felt her body clench in anticipation, an odd feeling igniting in her veins… _desire?_

Chloe smiled, letting her hand fall to the space in between them on the bed. "You're not a bad face to see first thing, Caulfield." She whispered. Her tone was light, but the words felt more meaningful- heavy with emotion, with the weight of all the things that were left unsaid between them.

Max exhaled slowly, her breath hitching in an obvious way and causing her blush to deepen- if that was even possible at this point. As she opened her mouth to respond- with what, she wasn't quite sure- a door slammed shut loudly downstairs and a heavily masculine, slightly familiar voice echoed throughout the house.

"CHLOE! GET YOUR ASS DOWN HERE, NOW!"

Max jumped, sitting bolt upright in fright. Beside her Chloe sat up too, groaning loudly- not startled in the slightest. "Shit. Something wicked this way comes." She muttered bitterly, standing up and stretching as footsteps began to thunder up the stairs.

Max's head snapped towards the bedroom door worriedly. "Chloe, who the hell is that?!"

Chloe didn't answer- she had clearly noticed the ashtray beside her bed with the joint from earlier still festering in it, and was simultaneously trying to hide it and also mask the lingering scent of marijuana by wafting her hands in the air frantically. If this were any other situation Max would have laughed- it was kinda funny watching Chloe spaz out- but the loud footsteps nearing the bedroom door quashed any trace of humour.

The door suddenly flung open, and Max's heart sank as she realised exactly who the voice belonged to. In walked a tall, slightly beefy, moustached man with a scowling face and hard, narrowed eyes which Max would have recognised anywhere. _David Madsen._ Also known as Head of Blackwell Security. He must be Chloe's stepfather. No _fucking_ way.

"Goddamnit Chloe, I thought I told you-," David stormed through the door and then stopped suddenly in his tracks as he registered Max perched tentatively on the edge of the bed. "Max Caulfield? You go to Blackwell, don't you? What the hell are you doing here?!"

Max stood up quickly, heart pounding in fear. This could not be happening; no way was David Madsen- ex-soldier turned uber-intimidating security guard who constantly patrolled the Blackwell campus like some sort of terrifying Rottweiler- _Chloe's_ stepfather. Chloe, the same girl who had smoked a joint in that very room only a couple of hours ago. The same girl who'd been _kicked out_ of Blackwell! No wonder they didn't get along.

"I-I'm- well, I-," Max choked on her words embarrassingly; even though she'd seen David a couple times around campus before, she'd always stayed out of his way- she'd heard he had a thing for harassing students, even if they were completely innocent. Only last week she'd seen him yelling at poor Kate Marsh, getting all up in her face for no apparent reason. This was her first time speaking to him in person, and it was even more terrifying than she'd imagined it would be.

"Well? C'mon, spit it out." David barked, and Max winced at his sharp, demanding tone. He didn't even know her, so why was he being such a colossal dick? This guy had a serious superiority complex, that was for sure.

"Jesus chill, David. Max is my friend, I invited her round, okay?" Chloe hissed, placing her hands on her hips defensively.

David scowled. "Great. Another one of your punk-ass friends. Let's hope she's less trouble than the last one."

Max blinked. Did he mean Rachel? What an insensitive asshole! She glanced at Chloe to see her reaction; her fists were curled into balls and her eyes blazed in fury. "Oh, fuck off would you?" The girl snapped irritably, earning a glare from David who moved towards her angrily, his feet thudding against the wooden floor.

"Don't you _dare_ speak to me like that!" He growled, his voice deep and menacing, eyes black with rage. Instantly shivers ran up and down Max's spine; her body tensed, on alert- an instinctive 'fight or flight' response pulsing in her veins.

Chloe, fearless as ever, squared her shoulders and looked David dead in the eye. "I can speak to you however I fucking want- you're not my _real_ dad. Stop ordering me around like I'm one of your fucking army buddies." She spat, her tone so venomous that it startled Max slightly. She felt like she was watching some sort of soap opera.

David's face turned so red it was almost purple, and his left hand snapped upwards as if he was going to _hit_ her. Max jumped up instantaneously, and Chloe also took a step back, her furious expression suddenly fearful. But before Max could intervene, David's face fell slightly and he looked at his raised hand with confused eyes, as if he couldn't work out why he'd lifted it in the first place. He looked back at Chloe and shook his head pityingly- maybe even apologetically- and turned away. "I'm sick of arguing with you, Chloe," he said tiredly, rubbing his temple as he walked towards the bedroom door, shoulders sunk in defeat. His sudden dejected stance was a complete contrast to the brutish, macho manner in which he'd initially entered the room; he looked small, pathetic. Max almost felt sorry for him. "But do your mother and I a favour and mow the goddamn lawn, okay? Tell your punk friend you'll see her when you've stopped being so immature."

 _'Okay, fuck feeling sorry for him,'_ Max thought, glaring at David's retreating figure. _Punk friend?_ What was this guy's problem?! He had talked about her like she wasn't even there, like she was so far beneath him he couldn't even acknowledge her.

Chloe snorted, loudly and sarcastically. "Yeah _okay._ Whatever." As David left the room and slammed the door shut, she threw her middle finger up and scowled. Max giggled softly, and the blue haired girl turned to her with a tired, apologetic smile. "Fuck, Max, I'm sorry you had to witness that shit. I thought he'd be out all day. Kind of a buzzkill, huh?"

Max smiled, reaching over and touching Chloe lightly on the arm. "It's fine. Are you okay?"

Chloe looked away, her expression unreadable. "Oh, y'know. Whatever. I can deal with his stupid ass, it's okay."

Max didn't really believe her, but decided not to press it. "Now I see why you have that secret place."

Chloe chuckled softly, fiddling with the bracelets on her wrist absent-mindedly. "That was one of the reasons I was glad I met Rachel. If David ever hassled me when she was there, she'd rip his head off. She didn't give a fuck, either."

Max smiled again, though sadly this time. Rachel seemed like the perfect friend- protective, fun, caring, outgoing…in comparison, Max was just some boring, shy nerd who was too much of a pussy to stand up to _anyone_ , especially David. For a frightening moment, she wondered if Chloe would eventually get bored of her. There was a reason why girls like her and Max didn't usually get along; they were from two different worlds, almost. Yet, it didn't _feel_ like there was a massive difference between them. It felt right. She needed to learn to stop being so damn pessimistic and trust her gut feeling instead.

Suddenly, her phone buzzed in her pocket and she pulled it out to see a text from Dana Ward, the sweet cheerleader girl who lived in her dorm and was in the same photography class as her. Max stared at the screen bewilderingly- Dana had never messaged her before, even though the two of them were pretty friendly- before opening the message.

 **Hey, Max! W r u? We were supposed to meet to go over Jefferson's project this afternoon. Txt me! Xxx**

" _Shit!"_ Max muttered, cursing herself internally. She'd completely forgotten about Jefferson's fucking project, and that he'd paired Dana and Max up. Yesterday in class they'd made plans to meet at Starbucks and outline a plan, but of course everything had slipped out of her mind when Chloe had appeared again.

"What's up? You better not be bailing on me for a hot date." Chloe said playfully, although something hovered in her eyes, almost undetectable. Was she… _jealous?_

"No chance. But I do have to bail on you...I completely forgot, I have this stupid fucking photography project and I need to meet my partner Dana to go over it. I'm such an idiot, I can't believe I didn't remember. I suck, I'm sorry." For the first time, Max felt completely uninterested in photography and Jefferson's class; if the project had been given a week ago, she would have spent all weekend prepping and outlining her approach and getting really into it, wanting to impress Jefferson. Now all she wanted to do was spend time with Chloe.

Chloe grinned, moving closer to Max and nudging her arm. "Shut up, Caulfield. Like I'd be pissed at you for wanting to do well at school. One of us needs to have some brains, right?"

Max giggled, opening her mouth to protest that Chloe _did_ have brains, when the other girl cut her off by reaching over and moving her hair from her face like she did earlier, stroking the chestnut strands gently in that same surprisingly intimate way. Max's breath hitched again, cheeks flushing inevitably. Chloe looked at her for a moment, eyes warm and dancing, before speaking again. "Besides, I like that you're hella intelligent. It's sexy."

For a second, it felt like Max's heart had stopped beating. Did Chloe… _mean_ that? A slow warmth pooled in her gut, making its way down to her pelvis. It was silent for a moment, the air thick and cloggy with tension. She was sure Chloe could hear her heart pounding; it felt like it was going to explode out of her chest. As she looked into the blue haired girl's eyes, she could see something pulsing beneath the surface of her deep blue irises…. something fierce and passionate. Something she couldn't comprehend. Max's gaze hovered over her slightly parted lips, involuntarily leaning in. She could feel her hot breath on her face, sweet and slightly tobacco-y. Chloe mirrored Max's body language, also leaning in slightly. Their faces were only inches apart now; it was the closest they'd ever been to each other. Were they-was Chloe going to… _kiss_ her?

 _BZZZZ._

Max's cellphone buzzed loudly, the sudden vibration so unexpected that it slid out of her sweat-coated palm and clattered to the floor. The two girls jumped apart guiltily, as if somebody had suddenly burst into the room. Max's heart sank as she bent to pick up the phone, her skin on fire; yet another intimate moment between them that had been cut short. Part of her was thankful for the interruption and how it had destroyed the odd, tense atmosphere and also prevented Max's heartbeat from growing to an embarrassingly loud volume…yet a bigger part of her was longing to return to the moment, to see what would have happened if it had lasted a few seconds longer. And she hated it- hated the feeling of desire burning deep in her stomach, in her heart, in the warm space between her thighs.

Chloe coughed, but it came out as more of an odd choking sound. She coughed again, covering it up. Was she embarrassed too? "U-um, so I guess you'd better meet your friend for your project, nerd girl. I'll drive you." She quickly turned around, reaching for her jacket that was casually strewn on the floor. As she bent down, Max caught a glimpse of her cheeks; pink and flushed, just like hers. She was _blushing?_ Chloe Price was _blushing?!_ Yet when she straightened up, her trademark grin slapped on her face like everything was fine and dandy, the rosy colour had completely disappeared. Max's mind must have been playing tricks on her again; Chloe wasn't the blushing type.

"S-sure. I'm meeting her at Starbucks." Max stammered, reaching down to grab her bag and Polaroid. She glanced at her phone- it was another text from Dana asking where she was. Damn, that girl was persistent. _'And poorly timed,'_ she thought bitterly.

Chloe sniggered. "Ooo, mainstream. Betraying your hipster roots, Caulfield?"

Okay, Chloe was teasing her again; everything was officially back to normal. It was like that weird moment between them hadn't even happened. Was it even a moment, or had Max been reading too much into things again? Chloe probably hadn't even meant what she'd said, she was no doubt just joking around as usual.

Max rolled her eyes good-naturedly at the other girl, trying to ignore the feeling of disappointment that tugged at her heartstrings. "I know, it's a real sacrifice." She said sarcastically. Her phone buzzed yet again, and Chloe raised an eyebrow, grinning.

"Jeez, somebody really needs their coffee. C'mon, let's go before that Dana girl has an aneurysm."

"…and that's why I think we should focus on the theme of love. I mean, Jefferson told us to create a series on a facet of the human condition, right? And love is like- Max. Are you listening? _Max!_ "

Dana's perky, babbling voice snapped Max out of her reverie. She startled, almost knocking over the untouched caramel latte resting on the Cherrywood coffee table near her knees. She didn't know why she'd ordered the drink; she was way too buzzed to even consider caffeine right now. Ever since Chloe had dropped her off at the coffee shop half an hour ago she'd be unable to keep her mind off her; she kept replaying the events of the day over and over again. Her fingers were almost shaking from the adrenaline pumping through her veins- if she drank any coffee she'd probably have a seizure. "Y-yeah?" She stammered, trying to arrange her thoughts into a more coherent state.

"Did you get any of what I was just saying?" Dana demanded, her voice slightly exasperated.

Max blushed- she hadn't been listening one bit. Dana could have been discussing the Syrian refugee crisis or the role of the European Union for all she knew. "U-uh, well…no. Fuck, Dana, I'm sorry. I've been so distracted these past few days. I'll pay more attention, I promise."

Dana raised a disbelieving eyebrow, taking a sip of her sickeningly sweet but incredibly Dana-esque strawberry Frappuccino (Max didn't know how she could stomach those things without wanting to barf- they didn't even contain real coffee). "Right. Well, to avoid the risk of boring myself to death explaining it all again, I'll give it to you in short. I think the theme of our photo series should be love. Romantic love, friendship love, familial love- whatever. We'll split it- you take some photos, so will I. That way we get two different styles of photography. Sounds totally awesome, right? Mr Jefferson is so gonna have to give us both A's!" She clapped her hands together excitedly, beaming in a way that made her eyes light up in joy. Max couldn't help but grin too; Dana's smile was infectious.

"That does sound awesome, Dana." Max agreed, and Dana's smile widened. Max knew her annoyance wouldn't last long; she really was the archetypal peppy cheerleader. She was also totally gorgeous; her skin was a smooth, porcelain colour - Max was sure she'd never had a zit in her life-, she was tall and slim, her body toned from all those hours of cheerleading and gymnastics, and she had pretty chocolate brown eyes and pink rosebud lips. Today she was wearing a pair of soft blue Levi jeans and a black off-the-shoulder top that exposed her defined collarbones. She looked effortlessly chic and elegant, and Max felt a surprising pang of envy- she never knew what to do with clothes, or how to style her hair, or what colour eyeshadow to wear to enhance her eyes, yet somehow those sorts of things seemed to come effortlessly to girls like Dana.

"Yay! I knew you'd love it. You draft up the outline, and I'll pitch it to Jefferson. Deal?" Max opened her mouth to protest, but Dana cut her off pleadingly. "C'mon, Max! You know I'm totally useless at writing, and you're, like, a super genius with words. Besides, you even said yourself that you totally clam up when you speak to Jefferson. You got it baaaaad for him, Max." She waggled her eyebrows and giggled uncontrollably, and Max hit her on the knee, blushing even harder.

"I do not have it _bad_ for him, Dana!"

"Don't worry, I don't blame you. He _is_ a hottie. Even if I've totally sworn off boys for life." Dana responded with a toss of her silky high-ponytail.

Max blinked in surprise. Her and Dana weren't especially close- they were friends, sure, but hardly ever hung out one-on-one- but she knew that her and Trevor were a thing, and had been for at least a few weeks. "What happened with- "

"DON'T even say his name!" Dana cried melodramatically, causing several confused customers to glance in their direction. "He's like Voldemort now. He-who-shall-not-be-named."

Max resisted the urge to giggle. How could Dana honestly say stuff like that with a straight face? She definitely had a penchant for the dramatics- no wonder she'd recently been cast as the lead in the school play. "Okay, what happened with- " she couldn't say Voldemort, she just couldn't, "you-know-who then?"

Dana sighed, her face crumpling slightly. A tear escaped from the corner of her eye, rolling down her cheek and leaving a jet-black mascara streak. If it had been anyone else, it would have been quite funny, but Max suddenly felt a deep pang of sympathy for the girl. She really was upset. "He was _cheating_ on me!" she wailed, burying her head in her hands and shaking it furiously.

"Shit, really? How do you know?" Max was shocked- Trevor really did not seem like the cheating type. He was a nice guy-a little spaced out from all those blunts, maybe, but definitely not a cheater. Max recalled seeing a picture on Dana's Facebook the other day of the two of them together; in the photo Trevor had his arm wrapped around Dana and was smiling down at her like she was the most beautiful girl in the world. He was obviously really into her. Besides, who would cheat on Dana? The girl was freaking _gorgeous._

Dana sighed, her breath catching in a jagged way. "Victoria. She told me she saw Trevor at the Vortex Party last night all over some girl. How could he do that to me? In front of all our friends, as well. I can't believe him!"

Max's eyes narrowed instantly; the words 'Victoria' and 'the truth' were not exactly synonymous. " _Victoria_ told you? So you didn't actually see it for yourself?"

Dana paused her sniffling for a moment. "Well…no. I was with Juliet whilst she puked her guts out. But Victoria saw- she said she stepped outside for a cigarette and there they were, totally making out in broad freakin' daylight. Well, not daylight. Night time. You know what I mean."

"So she was the only one who saw? And you have no proof other than what she told you? That's pretty convenient."

Dana peered at her, brows furrowing in confusion. "What are you saying, Max? That Victoria lied? Why would she do that?"

Max paused for a moment, gathering her thoughts. She needed to be careful; if word got back to Victoria that she was accusing her of trying to break up someone's relationship then Max would be in serious shit. "Look, I'm not saying she _lied,_ exactly, but from what I've seen Trevor's a good guy. A good guy who is _completely_ infatuated with you. And we all know Victoria has a thing for meddling in people's business. Put it this way- who do you trust more? Victoria or Trevor?"

"Trevor." Dana answered instantaneously. She nodded, her eyes thoughtful, as if putting the pieces of a jigsaw together in her mind. "Actually…Victoria has been kind of weird with me lately. Ever since Nathan came onto me at last week's party."

"He did _what?!_ " Max cried in astonishment.

"Yeah, I feel as grossed out as you do, trust me. It was at a party a week ago- he was fucking high and drunk as usual, and he totally groped my ass when I walked past him. Victoria saw and she freaked out, but Nathan denied it all- said he didn't _mean_ to. Ugh. What a fucking perv." Dana grimaced.

Max wrinkled her nose in disgust. Nathan was such a skeevy asshole; suddenly, she was really glad she'd told him to go fuck himself in Jefferson's class- it was totally worth evoking the wrath of Blackwell's faculty and the Vortex Club. " _Ew!_ But it makes sense- of course Victoria would try and mess up things for you and Trevor; she's pissed and jealous that Nathan made a move on you. What she _should_ be doing is dumping his sorry ass- guess the benefits of dating a Prescott make staying with him worth it, though."

Dana's eyes flashed with hurt and resentment. "I can't believe her! We're not exactly best friends, but I didn't think she would do something like that to me. She knows how much Trevor means to me! I went totally psycho on him earlier- I told him we were through and that he was a jerk and to never call me again. Oh my god, he probably totally hates me now."

Max snorted, though not unkindly. "Dana. Nobody could ever _hate_ you, especially not Trevor. Call him and explain- I'm sure he'll understand."

Dana smiled at Max gratefully, wiping her teary eyes. "Thanks, Max. If it wasn't for you I'd still be believing Victoria's lies. Next time, I think I'll go with my heart and not listen to stupid rumours."

"I'm just glad that it turned out to be a lie; you and Trevor are adorable together."

"Aw, thanks Max! He's so sweet- so much nicer than those jock assholes I was wasting my time on before him. Anyways, enough about me. How's _your_ love life going?"

Max blushed, looking down at her lap shyly. How embarrassing would it be to admit to gorgeous, popular Dana that her 'love life' was completely and utterly non-existent?

"Um…yeah, I'm not exactly having a love life right now?"

"Oh please, there's gotta be _someone_ at Blackwell that you're into," Dana said, leaning in with a devilish, twinkling look in her eyes. Uh-oh. "So who were you daydreaming about earlier, then? You know, when you were _supposed_ to be listening to me talk about the project?"

Oh, shit- Dana didn't miss a thing. Was Max seriously that transparent? "I wasn't daydreaming about anyone." She replied, trying to sound nonchalant and failing epically.

Dana raised an eyebrow, an incredulous look on her face. "Wanna try that again?"

Max shifted in her seat uncomfortably. This girl was not giving up easily, that was obvious. She didn't know why cheerleaders had a reputation for being dumb; Dana was more perceptive than Sherlock freaking Holmes.

Suddenly, Dana's face lit up with clarity and triumph. "Wait, I know! I totally know who it is that you're crushing on, Max!" she squealed excitedly, clapping her hands together loudly and bouncing up and down in her seat.

 _Shit. Shit, shit, shit!_ Max swallowed hard, her heart pounding in her chest wildly. Dana had seen Chloe drop her off at the coffee shop; what if she'd picked up on something? But what would she have picked up on? Max wasn't crushing on Chloe…was she?

"I-I don't know what you're talking about," Max stammered, instantly hating the way her nervous voice gave away the lie. "I'm not crushing on anyone!" Oh God, Dana thought Max was crushing on Chloe. Chloe- a _girl._ If she told anyone at Blackwell, Max would become the laughing stock. She couldn't even begin to imagine the amount of homophobic jokes Victoria and her cronies would have in store for her. This could not be happening!

Dana giggled. "It's Warren, isn't it?!"

"Wait… _what?_ " Had she heard that right? Did Dana seriously think she liked _Warren?_ Was she on crack?

Dana squealed again joyfully, her eyes bright and dancing. She looked positively overjoyed. "I _knew_ it! Ever since I saw you two hanging out around campus, I knew there was something going on! Awww Max, that's so cute! And it's totally obvious he really likes you too, by the way. You should go for it- ask him out!"

Okay, Dana had either had way too much coffee or she was completely delusional; there had got to be some explanation for why she was making absolutely zero sense. "Dana, what are you talking about? I'm not _into_ Warren!"

"Oh Max, no need to play coy with me. Honestly, I usually don't go for nerd types, but Warren's kind of a cutie. You guys would be _so_ adorable together!"

"Dana, there is nothing going on between me and Warren. Seriously!" Max stated, her voice clear and firm. Did everyone at Blackwell think her and Warren were hooking up on the down low?! Oh God.

"I'm not gonna tell a bunch of people if that's what you're worried about. Whenever you're ready, Max. OMG, I'm totally gonna get Trevor to talk to Warren about you- maybe he'll invite you to the Halloween dance!"

No fucking way, this was _not_ happening. Max opened her mouth to protest, but Dana cut her off by standing up abruptly. "Don't worry- I'll make sure he's totally discreet. Listen, I gotta go, my ride's here- but I'll text you, okay? We have so much to discuss! Oh, and don't forget the project outline for Jefferson's class on Wednesday." She began weaving around the tables towards the exit, her ponytail swinging back and forth like a crazed pendulum. "Laters, Max!" She called perkily before swishing out of the shop door.

"Dana, stop! Warren and I are _not-_ " Max shouted, but it was too late; Dana had already gone, disappearing into a glossy black Porsche that was parked on the sidewalk- it belonged to Juliet, Dana's best friend.

 _"Shit._ " Max cursed lowly, kicking the left leg of the coffee table by her food, almost knocking over her latte for the second time. Now Dana had got it into her head that she liked Warren, she was going to make it her life's mission to get the two of them together. Max knew she had a thing for matchmaking; Juliet and her current boyfriend-of-the-week, Zach, (and Cody, the one before him) had gotten together thanks to Dana's help. Ironically, Dana was also the one who'd set up Nathan and Victoria last year- Max had remembered Victoria thanking her in the sickeningly mushy sixth-month relationship anniversary post she'd put on Facebook shortly after Max had joined the school. Judging by her track record, Dana clearly wasn't the best matchmaker.

Great. Max had to deal with this now, as well as her conflicting feelings about Chloe. She didn't even want to open that can of worms, even though she knew she would eventually have to. Even the thought of the beautiful blue-haired girl instantly stirred up a messy, warm pool of emotions in her gut, making her palms sweat slightly and her head fuzzy.

"Miss?" A waitress suddenly appeared at Max's side, peering down at her with concern. "Are you okay?"

Max exhaled, looking up at the waitress with an equally baffled expression. "Honestly? I have no freaking clue."

 **A/N:** Sorry about the hella long chapter- I didn't really want to split it into two. Hope you guys enjoy, thank you all for the sweet comments! It means so much that you're enjoying the story. It's about to get good!


	7. Chapter 7

"...one could argue that the only thing that truly defines an excellent photographer is his or her ability to capture the essence of life even in the most mundane of settings. Even Ansel Adam's landscapes evoke emotion, don't they?"

Max played with her pen absent-mindedly as Jefferson talked, flicking its lid against the table and clicking it repeatedly. As much as she was trying to pay attention to the lesson, she just couldn't keep her mind from drifting. Drifting to a certain someone in particular- and for once, that someone wasn't the incredibly handsome photography teacher stood in front of her discussing, well, whatever it was that he was discussing.

It was Wednesday afternoon, the last period of the day, and Max was sat in photography class. She hadn't seen Chloe since Saturday and it was absolutely killing her; she'd been completely swamped with homework and essays, not to mention Jefferson's fucking project, hence why the two hadn't had time to see each other. They'd been texting every day though- last night, Chloe had blown up her phone with a ton of ridiculous Star Wars memes, and the night before that they'd spoken on the phone for over two hours. It was so easy to talk to Chloe; she was _hilarious_ , for one thing, but also intelligent, and interesting. The overwhelming shyness Max had felt when they'd first met was slowly ebbing away- every day, she saw herself coming out of her shell more and more. Chloe was changing her for the better.

 **BZZZ**. Her phone buzzed loudly and she pulled it out of her pocket, peering at the screen. None other than the blue-haired badass herself- it was like Chloe _knew_ that Max was thinking about her.

 **Wasssuup Max-Factor! Guess what! It's the 1-week anniversary of our friendship. Can't believe I've put up with u this long. Xoxox**

Max giggled softly, a fuzzy warmth growing in her heart. As soon as she'd awoke that morning, she'd realised that it had been a week since they'd met that day in the office. The fact that Chloe remembered as well, though, was adorable. She quickly typed a response, biting her cheek to keep from chuckling out loud.

 **I know! Definitely been the worst week of my life ;) xxx**

Instantly her phone buzzed with another response.

 **Smartass. Pls tell me that your shit-ton of homework is done. I miss ur cute face. Blackhell sucks ass. Xoxox**

 **PS NO EMOJI!**

Max's heart leapt as she read the word 'cute', her chest clenching in that all-too-familiar way. She knew she shouldn't think about it too much- Chloe was just naturally flirty, right? Yet she couldn't help but smile to herself, her cheeks growing rosier by the second as she began to type a response.

"Max Caulfield. Maybe you could give us a name of a photographer who perfectly captured the human condition? You certainly seem like you've been paying attention." Max jumped as Jefferson's voice suddenly rang loud and clear in her ears, dropping her phone onto the hardwood floor with an embarrassing clatter. She picked it up hurriedly, cheeks fiery red, and looked up to see the entire class's eyes on her and Jefferson stood by her table, his voice dripping in sarcasm and one eyebrow raised disapprovingly. _Shit._ She totally _hadn't_ been paying attention, and Jefferson had called her out on it.

"Uh…well…" Max stammered, mortified. Across the room, Victoria gave an amused snort and whispered something to Nathan, who was sat beside her. The two of them sniggered loudly and Max felt herself blush even harder, rage seething through her veins.

Jefferson cleared his throat, annoyed. "Well? Next time Max, pay attention to me instead of your phone. Can somebody else tell me the answer?"

"Diane Arbus." Victoria called in a smug, sing-song voice. She turned and shot Max a pitying look, her eyes glinting triumphantly- once again, she'd won. _Fucking bitch._

Jefferson nodded in approval. "Very good, Victoria. Now class, I know you presented your project outlines today, but I still want them handed in. I'll be sticking around here a bit longer if anyone has any questions for me about project themes or inspiration. Remember, the most important thing is to- what?"

"Always take the shot." The class repeated in unison as everyone stood and packed away their things, gossiping and laughing and discussing plans for the evening. Max watched as Victoria immediately sidled up to Jefferson's desk and began talking to him animatedly. Ugh. And Dana thought _Max_ had it bad for him?

Max stood and shoved her stuff into her backpack in irritation. She couldn't believe that she'd made such a fool of herself in class; it was humiliating enough to be called out by Jefferson, who probably thought she was a total blustering idiot now, but what was even more irritating was that she _knew_ the answer! Only yesterday evening she'd gone over Diane Arbus's photographs and style in preparation for the lesson today, but as soon as Jefferson had picked on her it was like everything she'd revised had just vanished from her mind entirely. Chloe texting her cute things certainly hadn't helped her keep her cool, either.

"Well that was an epic fail, Caulfield. I thought you knew everything about photography? Such a fucking poser." Max looked up to see Nathan stood in front of her, a nasty, spiteful look slapped across his face.

Max's fists clenched instinctively- every time she was near that boy she had this insatiable urge to punch him straight in his arrogant, condescending face. "Fuck off, Nathan."

"Careful now, bitch. I'm surprised Principal Wells didn't expel you for what you said to me in class the other week. He's a pussy. But don't think you've gotten away with it, Max. _No one_ fucks with me and gets away with it." Nathan hissed, his narrowed eyes sharp and menacing.

Max tried to push down the feeling of fear that gripped her chest. "Wow, I'm _petrified_. Now if you don't mind, I need to get to my fucking dorm." She pushed past him and stormed towards the door, ignoring his smug laughter behind her. As she passed Jefferson's desk she eyed Victoria, perched on the edge of his desk with her ankles crossed, engaged in an intense discussion with Mr Jefferson. She was leant in slightly and smiling flirtatiously, her voice low and seductive.

 _'Damn- she flirts with Jefferson right in front of her fucking boyfriend. What a stone cold bitch,_ ' Max thought to herself contemptuously as she placed her project outline on Jefferson's desk and left the classroom, trying to ignore the stab of envy that pierced her heart. Jefferson had never looked at Max like he looked at Victoria- with admiration and respect and something else that she couldn't quite decipher. What if Victoria was simply more talented than her? She certainly knew all the right answers in class, and her work was admittedly really good, if a little cold and unfeeling. Max knew it was pathetic, but she really wanted Jefferson's approval. He was one of the main reasons why she'd moved back to Arcadia, to have Mark Jefferson- an incredibly talented, famous photographer- as her teacher. To be the best you have to learn from the best, right?

The fact that he was completely gorgeous was totally beside the point, of course.

"MAX!" A loud, insanely perky voice that could only belong to one person shot through the air and startled Max so much that she almost fell back through the door into Jefferson's class. People _really_ needed to stop giving her mini heart attacks every ten seconds.

Dana ran over to her from where she was stood with Trevor at her locker- the two of them had rekindled things since Saturday and were now completely inseparable, it seemed. "How awesome was class? I told you Jefferson would totally love our project idea!"

It was true, Jefferson had been surprisingly impressed when Dana had recited their outline to the class earlier; Max had been sure he would at least make them tweak their ideas a little bit, reconsider some aspects…but no, he was really happy with the idea. He'd even complimented Max on her outline, saying her writing was very sophisticated. She had to give Dana kudos for her ideas- although she may appear slightly moronic, she was actually pretty damn intelligent. "You rock, Dana. It was great. Well, at least until I got called out in front of everyone."

"Yeah, what was with that? You were totally spaced out, Max. Thinking about a certain someone?" Dana giggled, shooting Max a conspiratorial wink.

Oh God. Not this again. "Dana, I am _not-"_

"Say no more! I get it- you wanna keep this hush-hush for now. You're totally waiting for your big moment to reveal your feelings for Warren to the world, right? OMG, you should do it at the Halloween dance at the end of the month! That'll give you at least three weeks to mull it over and get closer to Warren in the meantime. Oh, it'll be just like the movies- I love it!" she squealed, clapping her hands and spinning away from Max, her eyes on Trevor. "See ya later, Maxi!"

Max stood there in complete bewilderment. She didn't know what to laugh more at- the fact that Dana and probably half the school thought she was head over heels in love with Warren, or that Dana thought she would actually get up in front of the entire school at that stupid fucking Halloween dance (which was, of course, organised by the Vortex Club) and announce her feelings for him like she was the protagonist of some lame high school chick-flick. Why was Max's life so hilariously unfortunate?

She groaned, dragging her feet towards the exit of the school. She needed to get the hell out of there.

Twenty minutes later, Max was flopped on her bed in her room, bored out of her skull. She had two essays to complete and a Chemistry test to study for, but the idea of doing that right now was about as appealing as drinking battery acid. All she really wanted to do was hang out with Chloe; it was almost as if whenever they were apart, she couldn't focus on anything else.

She had been staring at the same picture of Dali's melting clocks that was hanging above her desk for over five minutes when a loud PLINK jolted her out of her thoughts. She sat up, looking around in confusion. Two seconds later, another PLINK. It was coming from the window. Was someone…throwing stones? What the fuck? Max jumped out of bed, cautiously sidling up to the window. She wiped the autumnal condensation from the glass, peering through the fuzzy panes. A figure was visible on the immaculately mowed lawn outside the dormitories; a lanky, skinny figure wearing big black boots.

 _Chloe._

Max squeaked with surprise, hurriedly opening her window and sticking her head out. A few feet away, Chloe grinned and waved the hand that wasn't clasped around a fistful of pebbles. "But, soft! What light through yonder window breaks? It is the east, and Juliet is the sun!" she exclaimed suddenly, throwing her arms in the air in a theatrical manner and adopting an English accent.

"Chloe!" Max hissed in panic, her eyes darting around the campus to make sure no one was around. "What are you doing? If anyone catches you here we're both fucking dead!"

Chloe didn't seem to take any notice- she was now flailing herself about with a supposedly love-struck, anguished expression on her face. "Who is this Chloe of whom you speaketh?" she cried dramatically, before carrying on with the soliloquy. "It is my lady, O, it is my love! O, that she…something something something…upon the heath! Eye of newt…. tongue of bat…no, that isn't right- she speaks yet…."

Max couldn't help but burst into laughter as she listened to Chloe's rambling performance. "Hold on, I'm going to get you, you idiot!" She called, and darted out of her bedroom door.

Two minutes later, she had located Chloe and the two of them were sneaking back to Max's dorm- well, as 'sneaky' as they could be with Chloe in her enormous black boots.

"You do realise you could have just knocked on the window, right? I am on the ground floor." Max pointed out, giggling.

"Yeah, but how boring is that? I like the romance of throwing stones at someone's window. Like Romeo and Juliet?"

"Okay, at what point did Romeo throw a bunch of pebbles at Juliet's window? Somebody skipped a few too many English classes." Max nudged Chloe who sniggered and elbowed her back, the two of them laughing. "Also, it would have helped if you'd stuck to one play. I don't remember the three witches from Macbeth in the balcony scene in Romeo and Juliet."

The two of them doubled over in laughter, replaying Chloe's awful performance in their minds and holding onto each other to keep from falling over in hysterics.

"I never was that great at acting. Or Shakespeare." Chloe commented once they'd both recovered from the laughing fit. Max pushed open the door to the dormitories and turned to assess the blue-haired girl behind her, a smile still playing on her lips. Chloe was wearing her usual attire of blue ripped jeans, a white tank top, combat boots, a jacket and a beanie pulled down over her slightly windswept aquamarine hair- except today, the jacket was dark brown and the tank top was emblazoned with a drawing of a bunch of stick figure zombies chasing a running man with the caption ' **ZOMBIES HATE FAST FOOD'**. Max smiled- she had a thing for quirky, funny T-shirts like that.

"Yeah, don't quit your day job Price." She quipped, turning around and walking smack bang into a wall. Wait, not a wall. A human. A human with spotless suede boots, a perfectly pressed black skirt and white blouse, and a crop of glossy, buttery blonde hair. Victoria.

"Ex _cuse_ you." Victoria hissed, and Max took a step back, stumbling into Chloe who yelped slightly and moved to the side. Victoria's eyes flashed in recognition as she saw the blue-haired girl and realised she was with Max, her expression half surprised and half amused. "Well, what do we have here? Max Caulfield actually has a _friend_. Are you two girls having a sleepover? How adorable." She simpered, her voice syrupy-sweet and dripping in sarcasm.

Max looked down, a nervous sweat prickling her skin. _Shit._ Visitors in the dormitories were strictly forbidden; she could risk expulsion if Blackwell found out. Getting Max kicked out of school and ruining her future was probably Victoria's ultimate wet dream- she needed to be careful.

"So what if we are?" She retorted, trying to sound bold.

Victoria wrinkled her nose in haughty contempt. "Aw, cute. I knew you were a hippie, Max, but I didn't realise you were a dyke too. Go figure."

Her words cut through Max like a knife, and she found herself instantly blinking back tears, her teeth gritted in fury. Beside her, Chloe stiffened. "Shut up, Victoria." Max hissed, her voice shaking slightly. The slight quiver only gave Victoria the ammunition she needed to continue.

"God, you suck even more at comebacks than you do at photography. Loved your little fuck up in class today, by the way. If Mark- Mr Jefferson- didn't already think you were a massive fucking loser, he sure does now." She giggled tauntingly; a high-pitched, ugly, tinkling laugh that raised the hairs on the back of Max's neck and sent a shot of fury through her nerves.

"Wow. Calling someone a loser, how original. Got any more seventh-grade insults that you wanna dole out, rich bitch?" Chloe's low, sarcastic voice rang out loud and clear, and both Victoria and Max turned to her in surprise. Despite how pissed she was, Max felt her heart warm a little as she looked at Chloe standing there cool and confident, her chin raised defiantly. She was standing up for her.

Victoria blinked, a look of disbelief whipping across her face. A millisecond later, though, it was gone; she looked at Chloe like she was an insect that needed to be squashed. "I'm sorry, but who exactly are you? I don't usually associate with people who look like they've crawled out of the trash."

Chloe laughed loudly. "Arrogance masking insecurity. You're really obvious, you know that? Shame all that money can't buy you a personality. Or a life."

A mixture of astonishment and rage flashed in Victoria's eyes, and her mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water. She looked… _upset_. Max could hardly believe it; she'd _never_ seen Victoria at a loss for words- that girl carried around witty, scathing comebacks like a designer handbag.

Chloe had rattled her.

The blue-haired girl stood there unafraid, arms crossed and her trademark cocky smirk on her lips. Max felt a sudden wave of admiration for her; she was fearless, bold, beautiful. She didn't have to stick up for her, but she was. She was probably the strongest person Max had ever met.

"Oh, by the way- Max is an incredible photographer," Chloe added, flashing Max a small smile. "But you knew that already, didn't you? Why else would you try and tear her down- jealousy's a real bitch, isn't it? Just like you."

Max was caught between trying to bite down the irrepressible warmth that blossomed in her heart at Chloe's praise, and also supressing dying with laughter at how badly Chloe had just destroyed Victoria. She watched Victoria's face turn slightly purple, and her eyes flicker with something she couldn't quite read- yet just as quickly, she settled back into her usual scornful glare. She snorted slightly, and looked between Max and Chloe in disgust. "Whatever. I have better things to do than stand here listening to you freaks. Have fun fingering each other all evening!" She hissed, shoving past them and slipping her petite frame out of the door.

"Not as much fun as you'll have imagining it!" Chloe called out after her, the door swinging shut with a loud slam. Max instantly burst into sputtering laughter, echoed by Chloe. The two clutched each other as they giggled, their breaths shaky and stuttering. Max could _not_ deal with what had just happened. For the past month, she'd been desperately wanting to give Victoria the smackdown she deserved- unfortunately, she had this annoying habit of discovering the perfect comeback hours after her opportunity had passed. And Chloe had just done it in less than a minute. Max knew it probably wouldn't do anything; Victoria would never change. But for once, she felt like she'd won a battle. With the help of her knight in shining Doc Martens, of course.

"That. Was. _INCREDIBLE!_ You are amazing." Max sputtered through bursts of laughter.

"Please, that was nothing. What I really wanted to do was knock her teeth out of her skull, but somehow I don't think that'd go down too well here, huh?" Chloe grinned, winking. "C'mon, show me your room Super-Max."

Max smiled, grabbing Chloe's hand and pulling her down the hall, the sound of their giggles bouncing off the walls as they approached her bedroom door.

"God, that girl wants you bad, Caulfield." Chloe remarked randomly as Max fiddled with the key to her door, her hands shaking slightly from all the adrenaline pumping in her veins.

She almost dropped the key when she heard that, turning to the blue-haired girl behind her in bewilderment. "Who, _Victoria?_ But- _what?_ She's with Nathan? And she's not gay!"

Chloe shrugged. "Could be a cover up. If it is, someone needs to tell her that the hairstyle is already giving away the game."

Max could not believe what she was hearing. "Are you fucking kidding me? Victoria Chase is _not_ gay for me. She despises me!"

"Please, did you see all that burning hatred in her eyes? It's just masking the desire beneath it. Trust me, I know what a closeted girl looks like."

Max paused for a moment- _how_ did Chloe know what a closeted girl looked like? - before spinning around and unlocking her door, shaking her head furiously. "Okay, now I know you've gotta be fucking high."

The door swung open, and Chloe sauntered past her into Max's room, bumping her hip with a smirk as she swept past. "Whatever you say, Caulfield. Damn. You room is fucking cool." She said, running her eyes over everything in wonder. Max walked in and closed the door behind her, watching Chloe with amusement as she ran her hands over her desk, flicked through a battered copy of _The Outsiders_ that was sat on her small purple couch, and fiddled with the pegs on Max's guitar, picking it up and strumming random strings, mimicking a lame eighties-style rock star. "I should have known you played guitar, Caulfield. All you need to do now is stop shaving your pits and buy a minivan and you'll be a fully grown hippie."

"Shut up! If anything _you're_ the hippie, pothead."

Chloe smirked, chuckling softly. "Shit, guess I've ruined my chances of you serenading me with this thing, huh?"

Max rolled her eyes, grabbing the guitar from Chloe's clumsy hands. "Maybe if you're good."

"Oh, I love it when you talk dirty to me Caulfield," Chloe teased, then her eyes widened as she noticed the huge mural of Polaroid photos on the wall by Max's bed. "Holy shit. These photos are awesome. You took all of them?"

Max nodded, blushing slightly as she watched Chloe move closer to the bed and reach out, running her fingers over a few pictures. "This is in Seattle, right? I can't believe you lived there." She commented, pointing at a picture of the Seattle Space Needle that Max had taken a few weeks after they'd moved there. She remembered looking up at the towering, aloof structure for the first time, feeling so small and out of place surrounded by all the cars and noise and skyscrapers- a stark contrast from quiet, peaceful Arcadia Bay. Everything in Seattle had seemed so cold and unfamiliar at first; she thought she'd never fit in there. Five short years later and everything was different; Max had mastered the transport system, could easily navigate herself around the city and- most importantly- she'd discovered the best coffee shop after months of traipsing around the city, enduring blends that were either too bitter, too sugary, or too expensive.

"It's amazing." Max nodded, feeling a sudden wave of nostalgia as she remembered Seattle and her parents, who were still living there. "The best city on the west coast for art and culture."

"I can imagine. You probably blended right in with the art school hipsters, huh?" Chloe teased, shooting her a playful wink. She turned and spotted the half-eaten tray of coconut bites that were sat on Max's table, instantly bending down and helping herself to one. "Shut up! I thought I was the only person who likes coconut and chocolate together. I totally binge-eat these all the time- Rachel fucking hated them. It drove her insane," she said, her mouth stuffed full of candy.

Max giggled; if it was any other person, it would have been gross- but Chloe made everything adorable. "They were one of my birthday presents from my parents from my mom- she knows I'm obsessed with them."

"Cool fucking mom," Chloe licked her fingers clean loudly, grinning happily. Her manners definitely left a lot to be desired, that was for sure. "What's she like? Apart from her awesome taste in candy, of course."

"She's great. A little over protective, but then again aren't all moms? She's an artist- a graphics designer. That's why we moved to Seattle, for her work." Max explained.

"Ah, so artistic talent is in your roots then. Let me guess, your dad's a painter?"

"Please, the closest my dad has come to painting is helping me with one of those dot-to-dot pictures when I was five. He's an insurance regulator. Hella boring." Max didn't want to spend too much time talking about her father; even though Chloe was the one who had brought him up, she still felt guilty discussing him when Chloe didn't even _have_ a dad anymore.

The other girl didn't seem to mind, though. "Did you just say hella, Caulfield? Looks like I'm rubbing off on you." She smirked, nudging Max teasingly. "Hey, why don't you put some music on? I wanna hear what kinda tunes Max Caulfield raves to."

Max snorted, walking over to her laptop and opening Spotify. "My music isn't exactly the _raving_ kind, Chlo." She clicked on her 'Fav songs' playlist and put it on shuffle, pressing play. Instantly the sound of ' _Dreams'_ by Fleetwood Mac echoed from the stereo by her desk, its gentle, drifting melody instantly proving her point that her music wasn't exactly the stuff of heavy metal concerts and mosh pits.

"See, I told-" Max began to say, when she turned and noticed Chloe stood there, frozen. Her mouth was flat and quivering slightly, and her eyes were clouded with an expression that Max couldn't understand. She looked upset. But why? "Are you okay?" Max whispered gently, moving forward and touching Chloe's arm slightly. The other girl startled, eyes flickering upward quickly like she'd just awoken from a deep sleep.

"Y-yeah. It's just- Fleetwood Mac was my dad's favourite band. He used to play this song all the time- we used to dance to it around the house. I haven't heard it since…since before he died." Chloe murmured softly, her voice cracking slightly.

Max's heart sank, instantly flooded by guilt. _Shit._ "Oh my god, Chloe, I'm so sorry. I had no idea. I'll turn it off right now." She spun around rapidly and moved away, but Chloe grabbed her hand, pulling her back. The two girls were now stood face-to-face, inches apart. Max gulped slightly, unsure what to do or say.

Chloe looked up finally, her eyes a tiny bit tearful but a small smile on her face. "No. Keep it on." She wrapped her fingers through Max's suddenly, lifting her hand up. A flash of warmth spread through Max's limbs as she felt the other girl's smooth hand clasping hers, butterflies swarming in her stomach. "Dance with me?" Chloe breathed, moving even closer so that their torsos were pressed against each other.

Max could barely breathe, her mind and heart simultaneously racing at about 100 miles per hour. If she spoke she was sure she wouldn't be able to find her voice, so instead she nodded nervously. Chloe smiled down at her and placed her hand on the small of Max's back, starting to slowly sway her from side to side. She pulled her in even closer, and Max breathed in her familiar scent of tobacco, coffee and mint. Cautiously, she looped her hands around Chloe's neck and rested her face near her protruding collar bone, touching the smooth skin with her cheek. She could feel the pitter-patter off her heart against Chloe's chest and she hoped it wasn't noticeable how fucking terrified she was right now. What was _wrong_ with her? They were only dancing- as _friends._ ' _But do friends dance like_ this _?'_ Max couldn't help but think.

After a few minutes of slow swaying, Chloe moved her hand a little, starting to trace small circles onto her back. Max sucked in her breath suddenly in an obvious way- Chloe's touch sending bolts of electricity through her system- and the other girl must have noticed as she stopped and pulled her face back, looking Max in the eyes. A moment passed and the two stared at each other, Chloe's intense, smouldering eyes burning into her own in that familiar, exposing manner. The music in the background seemed to fade away as they both simultaneously leant in, their breath hot on each other's cheeks. Max couldn't help her eyes as they travelled down to Chloe's soft, slightly-parted lips and then back up to her eyes, big and blue beneath her long eyelashes. She felt confused and giddy and excited all at once. What was Chloe thinking? What…was she going to-

A sudden clash of cymbals and an electric guitar sounded from the speaker, so loud and unexpected that both Chloe and Max yelped and jumped apart as if they'd caught on fire. Franz Ferdinand's _Take Me Out_ began blaring from the speaker, and Max immediately regretted leaving the damn playlist on shuffle. Way to ruin the moment. Not that there was a _moment_ , really…was there?

"Jesus, Caulfield. You nearly gave me a fucking heart attack. I thought you said there wasn't any thrasher music on there?" Chloe giggled, slightly out of breath.

Max groaned, reaching over and turning the speaker's volume down. "Shit, sorry. Forgot about that song."

Chloe plopped down on the sofa, and Max came and sat beside her. The blue-haired girl instantly stretched out her legs over the top of Max's lap, smirking. "By all means, make yourself comfy." Max remarked sarcastically, a begrudging smile on her face.

Chloe grinned back, winking. "Oh don't worry, I will. That was fun, wasn't it Caulfield? I've never slow danced with a girl before."

"Not even Rachel?" The words slipped out of Max's mouth before she could stop them, and she instantly bit down on her tongue, cringing. Her nosiness always got the best of her.

Chloe raised an eyebrow in surprise, but didn't seem too fazed. "No, not even Rachel. She was more of a sexy-dancing type."

The one question that had been lingering at the back of Max's thoughts for the past few days suddenly popped into her head. It burned in her mind, demanding an answer. She knew she shouldn't be intrusive, but she needed to know. It was _killing_ her. "Where y-you and Rachel together?" She blurted before she could change her mind. Chloe blinked, and there were a few moments of silence. Fuck. Maybe it was too soon in their friendship to be asking personal questions like this- they'd only known each other a _week,_ for God's sake.

Suddenly, she spoke. "Kind of. It's complicated. We cared about each other a lot, but I mean we never…we never said we were exclusive, put it that way. I just kind of assumed we were." Chloe replied vaguely, fiddling with her bullet necklace absent-mindedly.

Something pinched Max's heart- she recognised it as a stab of jealousy. Was she _jealous_ of Rachel? But why? Trying not to dwell on it too much, she pushed it down quickly. She needed to know more about Chloe, more about who she was…who she was attracted to. "So you're…you uh- you like…" She stammered like an idiot, unable to form a sentence- this was probably the most awkward question she'd ever had to ask someone.

"Are you asking me if I'm gay, Caulfield?" Chloe cut her off, her voice tinged with amusement.

Max looked at her; she was smiling. It gave her the confidence to continue. "Uh, yeah. Not that it matters to me either way- I just…I'm just curious."

"Well, to be honest, I don't really know. I've dated guys in the past. I've had sex with guys. And don't get me wrong, it was good sex, but there was always…something missing, I guess. Then I met Rachel and I figured it out- I just like who I like. Gender isn't important to me. But I guess you could say that I prefer girls." Chloe looked Max dead in the eye then, her expression serious. She felt something blossom in her chest- so Chloe _did_ like girls. And boys. What she didn't understand was why she suddenly felt so strange, or why it felt like her veins were fizzing and her heart was pumping at triple its normal speed.

"O-oh. Well, that's cool. As I said, I was just curious." Max muttered, flashing Chloe a quick smile.

Chloe looked at her for a second, a slow smile spreading on her face. "So what about you, Caulfield? Got any Blackwell bros hanging all over you? Well, aside from the tragedy that is Warren, of course."

"Shut _up_! And no, thank you very much. I don't want _any_ Blackwell bros all over me. There's a couple cute guys, but they probably think I'm a total nerd."

"Uh, nerds are hot." Chloe said matter-of-factly. Max's gut clenched slightly- did Chloe just indirectly call her hot?

"You just don't have any confidence yet," the other girl continued, flicking Max's wrist playfully. "Once you wake up and realise how awesome you are, you'll totally rule this shithole of a school. They'll have to rename it Maxwell Academy!" Chloe found this hilarious, bursting into loud, raucous laughter.

Max rolled her eyes good-naturedly. "I'm so done with your puns, Price."

"Yeah right- you secretly love them, admit it. In fact, I have an idea. You want to improve your confidence, right? Well, I know the perfect thing to do." Chloe stood up abruptly, darting towards the door.

Max stood up too, completely baffled at the sudden disposition between those two last sentences. "Chloe, what are you talking about?"

"Put on something cute and meet me in the parking lot in twenty." The blue-haired girl instructed, grinning ear-to-ear devilishly.

"Where are we going?" Max asked worriedly, her eyes eyeing the burgeoning homework pile on her desk.

Chloe just smiled serenely, winking sexily and slipping through the door. "You'll see!"

 **A/N:** Sorry about the incredibly long chapter- again! I feel like I have a tendency to over-describe things. Anyways, I hope you all enjoy! I know the action is super slow at the minute, but don't worry- it's definitely going to pick up the pace tremendously in the next few chapters. I just love writing this story- Life is Strange is such an incredible game and the dynamic between Chloe and Max is so special. I can't be the only one who wishes their characters were real, right? Or the only one who has a total crush on them both? ;)


	8. Chapter 8

Twenty minutes later, Max was stood in front of her mirror and grimacing at herself, tugging at the hem of the way-too-short dress she was wearing whilst simultaneously trying to tame her hair into an acceptable state. She paused for a moment, surveying herself and resisting the urge to scream in frustration. She'd tried on about ten different outfits and _none_ of them looked right; she'd been trying to avoid putting on this dress, but it was the only remotely 'cute' thing she owned. Her mom had sent it as one of her birthday presents, with a note attached saying ' _Something to wear to one of those Vortex Club parties!'_. Hilarious. Max's mom clearly wasn't aware of her social standing at Blackwell.

The dress was black and breathtakingly tight; it hit her mid-thigh and plunged provocatively at her breastbone, exposing her cleavage slightly- thankfully, the dress gave her a much needed push-up in the boob department, so she didn't need to wear a bra. It was a pretty sexy outfit; Max was sure her mom had just consulted a personal shopper and bought whatever they had told her to, because no way would she let her get away with wearing this if she could see how revealing it was. In a desperate attempt to make herself look as tall as Chloe, Max had also thrown on some strappy stiletto shoes that she'd bought ages ago but never had an occasion to wear them. There was just one problem- she was clumsy as hell and had no idea how to walk in high heels. She couldn't very well change into her Converse, though- she would just have to suck it up.

Suddenly a text from Chloe came through. Max bent down awkwardly to read it; the dress was so freaking tight that it was actually a struggle to move.

 **Yo Mad Max, hurry ur ass up! Xoxo**

Max dropped her phone into the little clutch bag she'd decided to use, a swarm of butterflies erupting in her stomach. As she looked at herself in the mirror again, she couldn't help but wonder if Chloe would like this dress. She had never worn _anything_ like this before- the most revealing outfit she'd ever worn was a tank top and shorts in the summer. With her small, petite frame and lack of curves she worried that she looked like a little girl playing dress-up. Did she look completely ridiculous? Oh God, this was a total mistake. She didn't even know where they were going- what if she'd overdressed?

Another questioning text came through from Chloe, and Max took several deep breaths in an attempt to quell her nerves. "It's okay, Max," she told herself out loud. "It's going to be okay. Just go and have fun." The reassuring words seemed to calm her down a bit, and she took one final long look at herself before turning on her pointy, uncomfortable heel and walking out of her bedroom.

Ten minutes later and Max was almost at the parking lot; the journey had taken double its usual time thanks to her ridiculous shoes and suffocating dress, but she had made it. As she looked around she spotted Chloe leant against her truck, smoking a cigarette. Her heart immediately seized in her chest; the evening sunlight hit the blue-haired girl's porcelain face and cast a warm glow over her- she looked effortlessly cool and striking, like a model. Punk music was blasting from her truck; as Max approached, the radio suddenly crackled and made an ugly sputtering sound. Chloe cursed and turned around, leaning into the car window and fiddling with the speaker- she clearly hadn't seen Max yet.

Max took a deep breath and cleared her throat. "Fucking piece of _shit!_ " Chloe muttered, not hearing.

Max resisted the urge to giggle and cleared her throat again, louder this time. "Chloe?"

The blue-haired girl spun around, complaining loudly. "Max, my fucking radio-" She stopped dead suddenly, her sentence trailing off as she registered Max. Her eyes travelled over her body in a painfully slow manner that made Max feel more exposed than ever, hovering a beat too long over her legs and cleavage (or had she just imagined that?), before finally resting on her face. Max met Chloe's eyes and instantly blushed; they were wide and intense, her pupils dilated. No one had ever looked at her that way before; it was almost like Chloe was checking her _out_.

"M-Max." Chloe stuttered, her voice cracking in a noticeable way. She quickly cleared her throat, looking away awkwardly. "Uh, you're here."

"I can't walk fast in heels." Max said stupidly, and immediately cursed herself for being so inane. She could feel her heart thumping against her chest cavity and sweat prickling in her palms- Goddamnit, why was she spazzing so much? Oddly- albeit reassuringly- Chloe seemed equally as nervous; the girl was fiddling with her cigarette packet, placing a fresh cigarette in between her lips with shaky hands and not meeting Max's gaze.

"So, uh- do I look okay?" Max asked anxiously, doing an awkward 360 turn and putting her hand on her hip, posing like a supermodel. She could feel herself cringing as she did it, but _somebody_ needed to relieve the tension.

Chloe just stared at her, dumbfounded, the cigarette dangling between her lips. Well shit. That didn't work. "Are you gonna light that thing? You're starting to look like that guy from _The Fault in Our Stars._ 'It's a metaphor'." Max quoted teasingly, reaching over and nudging the other girl's arm playfully. The touch seemed to snap Chloe out of her reverie, because she jolted suddenly and blinked several times, as if she'd been stung. Then she laughed, pushing her hair out of her eyes and reaching up to fix her beanie which had fallen out of place.

"Hah-hah. You're hilarious, Groucho Max. Fuck you for comparing me to that guy, though- he was a pretentious asshole." Chloe griped good-naturedly, nudging Max back. Immediately the vibe between them was restored to its usual lightness, the tension from minutes ago dissipating. "So, are you ready to go?"

Max nodded. "Can you at least give me a clue as to where we're going? _Please?_ "

Chloe shook her head, her eyes glinting mischievously. "Nope, no way, it's a secret." She grinned and suddenly moved forward, touching Max's arm. "Oh, and the answer to your question is yes, you look good. Hella good."

Her voice was soft, and Max smiled, blushing inevitably. The two stared at each other for a moment, and the warm evening air suddenly became humid and sticky with tension again. Max opened her mouth to reply, but instead of hearing her own voice a loud, eager yell rang out instead.

"MAX! Hey, Max!" Max spun around at the sound of her name, shielding her eyes from the sunlight. She could make out a lanky figure running awkwardly towards them, waving his hands in front of his face. Warren.

Beside her, Chloe guffawed loudly. "What the fuck?" she muttered through a giggle, her voice dripping in thinly veiled scorn.

"Oh, hey Warren. How's it going?" Max smiled tightly as the boy approached, his cheeks pink- although, he hadn't actually run that far. She really liked Warren, but now was not the time. All she wanted to do was hang out with Chloe, finally.

Warren stopped dead in his tracks as he approached the two of them, his eyes growing as large as dinner plates. He stared at Max for a few seconds, his mouth hanging open slightly. "U-uh, wow. You l-look incredible, Max." He stammered, his tone slightly high-pitched.

Beside her, Chloe snorted loudly. "Oh- thank you." Max replied awkwardly, trying to ignore Chloe's shit-eating grin.

Warren beamed goofily at her, then seemed to notice the blue-haired girl stood next to her. His smile faltered a little, unsure what to do. "So, how's it hanging Max? And Max's friend?" He looked between the two of them in bewilderment, clearly surprised to see Max with a friend that wasn't him- he was fully aware of her lacking social life.

Chloe nodded at him. "Chloe Price." She said pleasantly, although her dancing eyes gave away her struggle not to laugh. Max bit her lip, resisting the urge to snicker also- she knew she shouldn't be unkind. Warren was a cool guy, even if he was a little nerdy.

"Pleasure to make your acquaintance, Miss Price." Warren said in a faux-English accent, bowing theatrically. Chloe looked at Max incredulously, her expression screaming ' _Is this guy for real?!'_. Warren straightened up, still grinning. "I'm Warren Graham."

"Oh, I know. Max has told me _all_ about you." Chloe simpered, turning to Max and winking slyly. Max glared at her in response; if Warren did like her, this certainly wasn't going to freaking help.

"She has?" Warren asked, his tone surprised and his cheeks growing even pinker.

"Uh, just the basics." Max said quickly before Chloe could embarrass her further. "So, what's up?"

"Oh, nothing much. I feel like I haven't seen you for ages, though. I guess you've been busy." Warren's tone was disappointed, kind of like a sad puppy dog, and his eyes flickered to Chloe momentarily before going back to Max.

Max shifted guiltily. It was true, she hadn't made much of an effort to hang out with Warren or even text him. Chloe was the only thing that occupied her mind these days; she'd even realised yesterday that her beloved plant, Lisa, was severely wilted and on the verge of dying because Max had forgotten to water her. She seriously needed to get a grip. "Yeah, I've had so much homework. Fucking sucks." It wasn't entirely untrue- she _had_ been completely swamped with work.

"Oh I feel you man. We're still on for Saturday though, right? I got the tickets for the movie at the weekend."

Chloe's eyes instantly snapped towards her and Max's heart dropped. _Shit._ She had completely forgotten about the drive-in movie and that she'd agreed to go with Warren. "U-uh, sure. Of course." She replied somewhat reluctantly, glancing at Chloe out of the corner of her eye. The blue-haired girl was now glaring at Warren with a sullen, hard look in her eyes, her lips pressed into a tight, thin line and her body language hostile and pissed off. Was she… _jealous?_ Of _Warren?_

Warren didn't seem to notice- he was smiling from ear-to-ear at Max. "Awesome! I can't wait- you're gonna love _Planet of the Apes_."

Max gave him a small smile, her eyes still on Chloe. "Yeah, it'll be fun. Listen, we've gotta go but I'll see you later, okay?"

Warren blinked in surprise, his smile faltering slightly in disappointment. Max tried not to feel bad. "O-oh, okay. See you later, Max. Nice meeting you Chloe." He gave an awkward, goofy wave.

Chloe grunted and mumbled a half-hearted "Yeah, you too" before hopping into her truck, slamming the door behind her. Max smiled at Warren before turning and darting round to the passenger side, clambering in also. Chloe started up the car, yanking the gearstick into reverse and peeling out of the parking lot, leaving behind a very bewildered, slightly pitiful looking Warren.

"Wow. You're seriously going on a date with that guy?" Chloe asked, an edge to her voice.

Max scoffed, resisting the urge to shudder at the idea. "No way! It's just a movie."

Chloe snorted. "Right. Something tells me stalker boy doesn't think so."

"He's not a stalker, Chlo. We're just friends."

Chloe glanced at Max, one eyebrow raised sceptically and her mouth stretched into a cocky smirk. "Please, did you see the way he looked at you? Dude couldn't stop staring at your tits."

" _Ew!_ " Max squealed, her nose wrinkling in distaste. She couldn't help but notice something harder lurking in Chloe's voice beneath the sarcasm- _was_ it jealousy? "Time for a topic change. Let's put some music on." She reached over and fiddled with the radio, twisting a few buttons until the thing sputtered to life and a loud punk song burst through the speaker.

"Damn, you got it to work! Must be that Irish luck, Caulfield." Chloe grinned.

Max smiled and leant back in her seat, the deep bass of the song echoing in her ribcage. They drove in peaceful silence for a minute, the quiet streets of Arcadia Bay flashing by as they made their way through the town, the sunlight streaming in through the windows. Chloe sang along to the song, her voice unusually sweet and soft.

Max turned to her in surprise. "Chloe, your voice is amazing."

Chloe smirked. "Didn't you know? I'm actually an international pop star. Got a kind of Hannah Montana thing going on."

Max rolled her eyes, giggling. She peered out of the window and tried to locate her surroundings; they seemed to be near the outskirts of Arcadia, whizzing past dozens of tattoo parlours and grungy bars and skateboard stores. Max had never been to this part of town before, and as she eyed the graffiti and run-down shop windows, she realised why. It looked rough. Hella rough.

Suddenly Chloe swung the car to the right jerkily, parking up on the sidewalk. She switched off the engine and turned to Max with a grin, unbuckling her seatbelt. "We're here."

Bewildered, Max glanced out of the window. To their right was an abandoned old building which looked like it was possibly a grocery store in decades gone past. Graffiti littered the boarded up windows, and an aura of gloom and eeriness surrounded the place. It looked neglected and creepy; what could possibly have driven Chloe to bring her _here_?

"You brought me to a deserted shit hole?" Max asked incredulously, staring at Chloe as if she'd lost her mind.

"Don't let appearances deceive you, Max. C'mon!" Chloe winked and hopped out of the truck, darting round and opening the passenger door. Max got out cautiously, looking around her. The building they were outside of was at the top of the street where it was quiet and virtually empty; further down, though, there were bars and clubs with groups of youths stood outside smoking and laughing loudly. That made Max feel a bit better; if somebody tried to murder them, hopefully these people would be able to hear their screams, right?

Chloe grabbed Max's hand and pulled her down a dark alleyway down the side of the building, leading her to an inconspicuous black side door. "Chloe, I don't like this…" Max whispered, her eyes darting wildly around the dimly lit alley and the hairs on her arms raising in an uneasy manner.

Chloe turned to her and touched her cheek suddenly. "Max, chill. Just wait and see, okay?" She removed her hand and made a fist, pounding on the door in an odd series of knocks. It reminded Max of when she visited her friends' houses in kindergarten and they would create 'special knocks' so they would know it was each other and not the adults.

The door suddenly swung open and revealed a hallway crowded full of people drinking and smoking and chatting animatedly. A wave of rock music reverberated out from the building, its sudden thumping bass almost knocking Max backwards. What the hell was this place? A tall girl with spiky black hair, tattoos and multiple facial piercings stood in front of them with her arms crossed, her mouth curled into a smirk.

"Chloe Price. Been a while since you've come around." She said in a heavy New York accent, bumping fists with Chloe.

"Yeah, yeah, I suck, I know. Drinks on me later?" Chloe grinned. Max looked between the two of them uneasily, a nervous sweat prickling in her palms and on the back of her neck.

The black-haired girl pulled a face. "I fuckin' wish. I'm Joey's designated driver tonight- fuckin' asshole."

"Dude, he's the owner- can't he stay sober for one night?" Chloe laughed, and suddenly nodded at Max. "Oh by the way, this is my friend Max. She's a newbie."

Max blushed slightly as the black-haired girl appraised her slowly. "You don't say." She raised an eyebrow, her smirk widening. "She doesn't look a day over fifteen. You doing the jailbait thing, Price?"

Max bristled at that. "I'm eighteen. My birthday was two weeks ago."

The spiky-haired girl snorted in an uninterested way, turning back to Chloe. "You'd better keep an eye on your girl tonight, Chlo. You know how the girls are with fresh meat."

Chloe rolled her eyes. Her cheeks looked a little pink- was she blushing? "You make us sound like animals, Jen. See you later, kay?" She grabbed Max's hand and led her through the doorway and down the corridor, which reeked of marijuana and sweat and several conflicting perfume scents.

Max was completely confused. That was super weird- what did that mean, _fresh meat?_ She also couldn't help but notice that the scary pierced girl- Jen, was that her name? - had referred to her as Chloe's ' _girl_ '- and Chloe hadn't corrected her. "Chloe, what is this place? Some kind of weird speakeasy?" she asked as they passed a couple making out. On closer inspection, Max realised with a stab of surprise that the couple was two _girls_.

Chloe was leading her towards a purple curtain at the end of the hallway, where the angry rock music seemed to be coming from. "Kinda. It's a bar. A special kind of bar." Before Max could ask her to explain what exactly she meant by that, the blue-haired girl suddenly pulled the curtain open and lead her into a room crowded with people.

Max's eyes swivelled around her, her mouth agape. There was a stage in the corner of the room where a group of punky, sweat-doused women were thrashing on guitars and screaming into microphones. Beside the stage, people were spinning each other about and jumping up and down crazily, pints of ominous-looking liquid in their hands. A huge bar stood just in front of them against the wall, and groups of people chatted on barstools or at tables clustered around the room. The room was dimly lit, giving it a hazy, intimate feel, and the air was thick with smoke and perspiration. Hung on the purple walls were electric guitars, random bits of graffiti and posters of half-naked pin-up girls in sailor suits and skimpy lingerie. Yet there was something… _odd_ about the bar that Max couldn't quite place. As she looked around, she noticed that there were an awful lot of women here. In fact, it was pretty much all women apart from a few effeminate looking guys wearing eyeshadow and fishnet stockings. Max noticed that these women all seemed to be pretty close to each other as well; holding hands, whispering in each other's ears, even making out in secluded dark corners. Finally, she clocked the LGBT flag hanging above the bar.

 _No._

"You brought me to a _lesbian bar?!_ " Max exclaimed, partially drowned out by the clash of drums and the wailing lead singer on the stage. She couldn't believe this. How was being _here_ going to help her become more confident?! She wasn't even _gay._

Chloe was staring at her with the cockiest smirk on her face. Even though her face was partly cast in a deep crimson shadow from the few dark red lights lining the walls, Max could still see her big turquoise eyes glinting wickedly. "Your _face_ , Caulfield! Fuck, I wish I could take a picture. Where's that Polaroid when you need it?" She burst into laughter, clutching Max's hand tightly. A shiver ran up and down her spine, even though it was hot in the bar.

"Chloe, seriously! Why did you bring me here?"

Chloe shrugged, looking around. "Rachel introduced me to this place about a year ago. It's hella awesome- I can't even believe that this hick piece of shit town has a gay bar, but here you go. And it's the only place in Arcadia that doesn't ID. Win-win, right? Besides, I thought you'd like it." She raised an eyebrow at Max, giving her a knowing smile. What was _that_ supposed to mean?

"Chloe, you know I have a curfew. If someone at Blackwell catches me-"

"So you won't get caught. Sneak back into Blackhell later all ninja style, Maxgyver." Max couldn't help but smile at that lame pun, and Chloe pulled her hand, leading her towards the bar. "C'mon, let's get a drink."

The pair hopped onto two spare barstools near the end of the bar, squeezing in between an incredibly butch blonde woman and a couple who were sharing a margarita. The blonde woman looked at Chloe, checking her out obviously, but Chloe, not realising, turned her back on her and leant in towards Max.

"What are you gonna do, order a glass of strawberry milk like that girl in _Blue is the Warmest Colour_?" Max teased, flicking Chloe's wrist playfully.

The other girl laughed. "Well, we do have the same hair." She surveyed Max for an instant, head cocked in amused interest. "Quite a scandalous movie choice for you, Caulfield."

Max immediately blushed; when she'd made that comment she'd conveniently forgotten that the film contained numerous graphic lesbian sex scenes. She'd watched the French film when she was thirteen in an effort to seem more sophisticated, not realising what it was about. When she did, she knew she should have turned it off (she was _straight_ , she had told herself- she didn't want to see two girls having sex), but something about it enticed her to keep watching. The sex scenes were uncomfortable to watch, and they made her feel odd…but in a good way. The film had stuck with her ever since.

"I just like French cinema." She replied, feigning nonchalance.

Chloe snorted. "Nobody _likes_ French cinema. Admit it- you just wanted to see two girls get down and dirty." She nudged Max, waggling her eyebrows suggestively and grinning. "That's why _I_ watched it, after all. I totally had a crush on that blue-haired chick."

Max's blush deepened and she felt her pelvis tighten; hearing Chloe basically admit that she'd only watched the film to get off was kinda… _hot._ "Was she the inspiration for your hair, then?" She asked, trying to cover up her embarrassment.

"Sort of. That and the fact that I just wanted to piss off my step-douche."

Max smiled. "You know, you kinda remind me of her- the girl in the movie. You're both feisty, intelligent, punk-rock…"

"You forgot 'sexy as hell'." Chloe added half-jokingly.

"You're both cocky too." Max quipped, earning a soft laugh.

Chloe flagged down the bartender, a beautiful raven-haired woman with thin red lips and a tattoo of an anchor on her forearm. "Hey, Chlo." She said, recognising her. "Haven't seen you in a while. Still looking hot as ever, I see."

Chloe laughed easily. "Right back at you Gina. Two Dirty Girl Scouts for me and my friend here, please. Put it on my tab."

Gina regarded Max with scepticism, and for one humiliating moment Max was sure she was going to card her. Thankfully, though, she just nodded and got to work making the drinks, presenting them both with two shot glasses of a creamy opal-green liquid.

"This looks like pond scum." Max blurted out.

Chloe threw her head back in laughter. "Yeah, it does. But it tastes hella good and it goes down fast. C'mon, drink up pussy!"

Max looked at the shot doubtfully- she'd never done one before, and she'd certainly never been drunk. The closest she'd been to intoxicated was when she'd mistaken her dad's cider for fizzy apple juice at her cousin's wedding when she was ten and downed the thing. Thankfully, he'd already had half of it so there wasn't enough to get her drunk. She didn't really want to get wasted tonight, though- what if she was sick, or made a fool of herself, or drank too much and accidentally got put into an alcohol-induced coma?

Then Max looked at Chloe's eager, expectant face and shook the thoughts from her head. ' _Fucking hell Max, live a little!'_ she told herself, and picked up the shot, clinking it to Chloe's. "Cheers!" she said, and closed her eyes and threw it down her neck quickly. Instantly she winced at the taste, her instincts telling her to spit it back out again. It slid down her throat, the slimy, burning liquid making her entire body shudder.

Chloe burst into laughter again, seemingly unaffected by the drink. Obviously she was a pro. "Caulfield, you look like you're taking a particularly large shit." She commented in between giggles.

"I thought you said it tasted _good_!" Max complained bitterly, swallowing repeatedly to rid the disgusting taste from her mouth. It didn't work.

"Yeah, uh, I lied. Sorry about that," Chloe's eyes glinted again mischievously.

Max punched her on the arm lightly, the yelp she earned somewhat satisfying her need for revenge. She was about to say something else when a curvy brunette with enormous boobs suddenly appeared behind them, positioning herself just a little too close to Chloe and smiling down at her.

"Hey there," the girl cooed seductively, completely ignoring Max. "I'm Kirsty."

Chloe turned to the girl and smirked, raising an eyebrow. "Hey Kirsty, I'm Chloe."

The girl leant in closer- if that was even possible, Max noted with resentment- and gave a silly, tinkling laugh, even though Chloe hadn't said anything funny. "Can I buy you a drink?"

"Uh, I'm good for now thanks. Maybe later." Chloe smiled tightly and Max noticed a flash of something in her eyes- annoyance?

The girl straightened up, looking wounded. It was then that she noticed Max, and she looked her up and down, shooting her a nasty look before muttering ' _whatever_ ' and sauntering away.

Max snorted, fiddling with the empty shot glass by her fingers. "What a shame, she was so friendly. Clearly you're a hit with the ladies here," she teased, trying to ignore the stab of jealousy in her heart. Chloe was her _friend._ She didn't care who hit on her, did she?

Chloe leant in, her breath hot on Max's cheek. "It's because I'm so sexy, duh." She laughed and pulled back, motioning to Gina for another set of drinks. "Nah, you should have seen Rachel in this place. _Everyone_ wanted a piece of her. It was like flies around the honey pot."

Max smiled- it didn't surprise her, she figured someone as gorgeous as Rachel would have attracted plenty of attention. "So, was Rachel fully gay?"

"No, no way. I think I was the only girl she was ever with. But y'know, everyone was into her. Girls, boys, even fuckin' gay guys." Chloe's tone was warm and soft, and it made Max's heart ache unexpectedly. "She was never really serious with anyone, though. But right before she disappeared, she said she met someone who changed her life. I never knew who it was."

Max blinked in surprise. "She met someone else?"

"Yeah, I guess so. Like I said, we were never exclusive or anything. It still hurt, though. I just…I loved her, Max." Chloe admitted, her eyes sorrowful and her lip quivering slightly. Max sucked in her breath. In the back of her mind, she'd known that it was true, that Chloe had been in love with Rachel and probably still was- but hearing her say it out loud was unexpectedly upsetting. She wasn't quite sure why. What was even worse was the fact that Rachel had probably broken Chloe's heart when she'd met this mysterious other person. Poor Chloe. Everyone in her life had abandoned her; her dad, and now Rachel.

Chloe suddenly picked up her new shot, throwing it down her neck. "Okay, enough talk about her. Drink up, Caulfield."

Max grimaced and forced herself to take her shot, the taste slightly less acidic the second time around. Maybe she was getting used to it. As she was about to open her mouth and instruct Chloe to order another one, a voice next to her made her swivel her head.

"Hey, cutie." A pretty girl around their age with cat-eye glasses and gleaming red hair was sat on the barstool next to Max, smiling in a sultry way. "Can I buy you a drink?" Max resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Could they seriously not talk for five minutes without some girl hitting on Chloe?

"I'm good, thanks." Chloe said dismissively, and the redhead raised an eyebrow.

"Uh, that's nice, but I was actually talking to your friend."

It took Max a few seconds to realise that the girl was referring to her, and when she did she almost fell of her chair in shock. _She_ was hitting on _Max?!_ And not Chloe?

The redhead leaned forward, resting her cool, soft hand on Max's bare thigh. Max jumped at the touch, electricity shooting through her veins. "So, what do you say? Or we could go dance, instead?" The girl asked, her voice low and husky.

Max's throat made an odd sputtering sound, and she looked at Chloe for some direction of what to do. The blue-haired girl had stiffened and was now glaring at the girl, her eyes fierce and protective. Was she…was she jealous?

Max began to speak, her voice shaky with nerves. She had never been hit on in her life, and certainly not by a _girl._ "Uh, w-well, I'm not a very good dancer-"

"Actually, we're kind of together." Chloe interrupted her suddenly in a 'back-off' tone, looping her arm around Max and squeezing her shoulder. Max blinked dizzily. She felt giddy and dazed, and she wasn't sure if it was because of the alcohol or Chloe's fingers on her bare skin.

The redhead raised an eyebrow, her eyes flicking between the two of them in a sceptical way. She nodded and grabbed a bar napkin, whipping out a tube of lipstick and scrawling something on it before sliding it across the bar to Max with a seductive smile. "Just in case you get bored of your little girlfriend." She purred, before slinking away.

Max looked at the napkin- on it was the girl's number in looped, curly writing. "Holy shit. I can't believe that just happened." She muttered, and immediately started to giggle. She didn't know why, but the situation was just so hilarious all of a sudden.

Chloe raised an eyebrow, a smirk on her lips. "Damn Caulfield, you're a womanizer. Hope you didn't mind my cock-blocking, so to speak. I just figured you weren't that into having that chick grinding up on you on the dancefloor."

"No, no, thank you. You're a lifesaver."

Chloe ordered another set of shots and turned to Max, resting her hand on Max's thigh and adopting a sultry smirk. "Can I buy you a drink, cutie pie?" she simpered, mocking the redhead. Max giggled even harder. "She was cute, though. Maybe you _should_ call her." Chloe continued, her hand still on Max's thigh.

"Noooo way!" Max cried. "Besides, I'd rather dance with you. You're much cuter." The words were out of her mouth before she could stop them and she immediately blushed, praying that Chloe would think it was just the alcohol talking.

Chloe raised an eyebrow, her eyes dancing and her signature cocky smirk playing on her lips. She moved her hand slightly on Max's thigh, beginning to trace small circles on her bare skin. Max gulped, her heart racing and head fuzzy. "Well, let's do it." Chloe stated suddenly, removing her hand and passing a shot to Max. "One more for the road?" She said, raising her glass and clinking it to Max's.

Max stared at the foamy green liquid- maybe this wasn't such a good idea. She was already feeling pretty tipsy. But then she remembered her promise to herself to be more fearless, more like the girl sitting next to her, and raised the glass to her lips, nodding. "Cheers!" She cried, and they both threw back their shots, immediately bursting into giggles.

Then Chloe stood up suddenly and grabbed Max's hand, pulling her off the bar stool and towards her. "Let's go dance, baby."

 **A:N/** I got a question on the last chapter about whether to use the Jefferson Dark room storyline for Rachel's death (yes, she is dead in this AU) and honestly, I don't know. To be honest I think it would just complicate the plot a whole lot more and I kind of want it to be pretty centred around Max and Chloe and also Max growing as a person and becoming more fearless. What do you guys think? Hope you all enjoy this chapter- I know, I know, its stil going slowly. Be patient, I promise there's not long to wait before something happens! Remember, they've technically only known each other a week, even though it feels like a lot longer.


	9. Chapter 9

"Chloe, seriously? I _suck_ at dancing!" Max whined as the blue-haired girl dragged her across the bar, pulling her onto the dancefloor.

Not listening, Chloe giggled and twirled Max around. She stumbled back and almost fell onto a couple behind her who were passionately making out. They shot her a dirty look and moved away. Max blushed and tried to regain her composure; she was clumsy as hell as it was, and the alcohol certainly wasn't helping. She awkwardly bopped her head to the music, shuffling side to side in a hilariously tragic semi-dance. She felt like the token middle-aged dad dancing at the family barbeque; awkward and embarrassing and completely rhythm-less. Chloe, on the other hand, seemed to instantly find the beat of the song- she was jumping up and down and wiggling her hips, moving easily and effortlessly with the heavy punk music. Her cheeks were flushed and she looked wild and sexy; Max could see that she already had attracted the lustful gaze of several women who were dancing nearby. Even the band's lead singer was checking her out, so distracted that she hit the wrong string on her guitar several times and caused a loud, flat twang to echo throughout the room.

Beside Chloe- tall and confident and enigmatic- it was hard not to feel like an ignored side-part. Even with the liquor cruising through her system, Max still couldn't muster up the courage to complete let herself go- to throw her arms in the air and jump about crazily and dance like she did in her bedroom when nobody was watching. She was about to make some sort of excuse and disappear to the bathroom- her usual getaway method in uneasy situations- when the noisy punk song suddenly ended and the band launched into something else- something that she recognised. Something that she _loved._

"I fucking _love_ this song!" she turned to Chloe and squealed just as the blue-haired girl swivelled to her and yelled the exact same thing. They burst into laughter as the band began playing the first verse of Twenty One Pilots' _Tear in my Heart_ , a song that Max had rocked out to countless times in the privacy of her room.

Chloe grabbed Max's hands, pulling her towards her and jumping up and down in that crazy way. "Can't dance, hippie? C'mon!" she cried and twirled her round again, laughing loudly. Max couldn't help it; Chloe's enthusiasm was so infectious that she started to move a little, swaying her head back and forth and shifting from one foot to the other. As the tempo of the song increased, though, she began jumping up and down in the same rhythm as Chloe, who beamed at her happily and clutched her hands tightly, pulling her in towards her and out and then back in again. By the time the chorus hit, Max was flailing herself in the air wildly like Chloe and the huge crowd of women that had now joined the dancefloor, all of them at various levels of intoxication.

"SHE'S THE TEAR IN MY HEART, I'M ALIVE!" Her and Chloe sung loudly in unison, giggling furiously. Max watched the other girl as she continued to belt the lyrics to the chorus, her head thrown back in laughter and her eyes wild and joyful as she shook her hips and butt seductively. She couldn't help but stare; Chloe moved in such an entrancing way that it was hard to look at anything else. She looked sexy, carefree and wonderfully, incredibly _alive._ Instinctively, Max removed her camera from the clutch bag slung across her torso and raised it up to the other girl, snapping a picture.

"Hey, no fair- you didn't even let me pose!" Chloe cried over the thundering crash of drums and electric guitars. Max stuck her tongue out at her good-naturedly and slid the camera and the photo back into her bag, grabbing Chloe's hands again and pulling her towards her, eager to feel the touch of her smooth skin on hers again. The alcohol was really starting to hit her now; she felt giddy and dazed, an overwhelming surge of confidence pumping in her veins. She wanted to _dance._ She looked up at Chloe's big, electric blue eyes and her beaming face, all sense of embarrassment or unease slipped out of mind…and then she just let herself go.

The band launched into the chorus a second time, the heavy bass of the song reverberating against the walls. A host of flashing neon lights suddenly illuminated the dance floor from above, provoking loud coos of wonder from the other women dancing. Chloe, illuminated in technicolour, squealed and began spinning Max around again wildly. The two danced crazily with each other, their bodies intertwining and pressing up against each other as the crowd of frenzied women around them thickened.

Max pulled Chloe even closer, writhing down her body to the beat, letting her hands trail over her thin tank top and belt and the smooth denim of her jeans. As she came up, she wrapped her arms around Chloe's neck and they matched each other thrust for thrust, simultaneously moving with each other and against each other. Chloe followed Max's body with her eyes, her mouth slightly parted. The room was spinning, and so was Max's head, and so was her body. She was covered in sweat and her feet were in searing pain from her heels but she didn't care, she didn't care.

Chloe's hands were on her, and her hands were on Chloe, trailing over her bare arms- she had such smooth skin, why had she never noticed that? - and her back and now her hair, pulling off her beanie- man, she looked so cute in that damn beanie- and placing it over her own chestnut bob with a crazed giggle. Chloe threw her head back in laughter and suddenly picked Max up by her waist, spinning her around so fast that they almost careened into the stage. The faces of the crowd flashed past in an endless blur and the lights burned so bright in her face that they almost hurt. Max screamed like a little kid, trying to keep her spinning legs from smacking anyone in the face, aware of Chloe's hands pressed against her back and thighs, grazing her bare skin. She wanted to feel like this forever.

After a few more wild circles Chloe put Max down again clumsily, causing her to fall into the blue-haired girl's arms. The two of them were laughing so hard they were almost crying, their sweaty palms intertwined, clutching onto each other so they wouldn't fall again. The song was nearly over, the heavy guitar and drums fading and the lead singer's angry wail suddenly soft and sweet as she sang the last few lines of the song. The two girls were now stood inches apart, their foreheads touching and their breath hot on each other's cheeks. Chloe pushed back a strand of Max's hair that had escaped from the beanie that now rested atop her head, running her fingers down her cheek and onto her exposed collarbone. Warmth surged in Max's veins and it took all of her strength not to let out a moan. Wait, why did she want to moan? Chloe was her friend. But friends didn't touch each other like that. Did they? Oh God, Max was so confused. And drunk. And she felt a little icky. Okay, a lot icky.

A wave of nausea bloomed in her stomach and she pulled away suddenly, covering her mouth with her hand. Oh no. Oh no oh no oh no oh no. Chloe stared at her, her eyes wide with concern. "Max, are-" she began to say, but was cut off by the roar of applause from the bar and the lead singer shouting something into the microphone.

"That's it from us tonight, but thanks for being such a fuckin' sick audience!" The girl cried, pushing back her long, sweat-doused brown hair from her head and grinning. "Oh, and a special thanks to the cute couple at the front who practically fucked on the dancefloor- that was so fucking _hot_!"

The group of women surrounding them burst into raucous cheering, whooping and hollering as the lead singer pointed into the crowd. Actually, she seemed to be pointing in Max and Chloe's direction. Oh. _Oh._

 _She meant them._

Max didn't even have time to be embarrassed at that, or think about what the girl meant- they hadn't practically _fucked_ at all, had they?!- because another wave of nausea bubbled in her throat, this time dangerously close to escaping. Max wheeled around, sprinting wildly towards the purple curtain that they'd entered the bar through, Chloe's concerned voice crying out behind her. She pushed down the corridor, treading on dozens of pairs of feet and provoking a chorus of pissed-off protests, before reaching the scary black-haired bouncer- Jen- at the door. Jen took one horrified look at her and immediately opened the door, letting her out. Max burst into the cool night air, took one look around the pitch-black alleyway, and promptly vomited all over the ground.

"Oh God, Max." Chloe was suddenly behind her, her hands holding Max steady as she continued to puke up her guts.

Oh God, indeed. ' _The alcohol tastes even worse on the way back up,'_ Max thought to herself. When she opened her mouth to giggle at that, though, she just gagged in an ugly way and was immediately sick again.

After she'd got the last of the truckload of vomit out, Max stood up slowly, swaying woozily and almost falling flat on her face. Chloe's hands were around her waist again suddenly, pulling her in close. She felt material over her shoulders; it was Chloe's jacket.

"Holy shit, Price. What the fuck has she taken?" came Jen's nasty voice from the door. Max looked up to see the girl staring at her pityingly, one eyebrow raised.

"None of your damn business." Max hissed in a slurry voice that she'd never heard from herself before, and then winced. Ouch. Talking made her head hurt.

"Ex _cuse_ me-" Jen began, but Chloe held up her hand, shaking her head and cutting her off. Jen crossed her arms and snorted, stepping back inside and slamming the door to the bar shut.

"That girl is _such_ a bitch." Max stated, earning a soft chuckle from Chloe.

"Okaaaaay, lightweight. I'm gonna take you back to Blackwell." The blue-haired girl said, holding Max tightly and walking her down the dark alleyway, both of them staggering slightly. As the chilly night air hit her, Max felt herself beginning to regain some level of composure. Her head was still pounding, but everything had stopped spinning- thank God. She could make out Chloe's truck just in front of them, glowing pale yellow in the moonlight. Preeeeeetty. So pretty. Like its owner. Wait, where did that come from?

Chloe fished her keys out of her jean pocket, unlocking the car. "Are you doing okay, Caulfield? You're not gonna puke in my truck are you?" she asked in a teasing voice, and Max giggled.

"No, I promise. I think- I think I'm sobering up. Man, I feel dizzy." Max replied, and Chloe laughed.

"Jesus fucking Christ, Chloe. Babysitting not going so well for you, huh?" A low, masculine voice suddenly cut through the air and startled Max so much that she nearly fell over again. Chloe's head whipped up instantly, her eyes focusing on something behind Max. Her irises clouded over, hatred burning through fiercely and her hands curling into fists by her sides.

Max turned around too, trying to locate the origin of the voice. Leaning against a wall a little further down the street, half-shadowed, half-illuminated by the street lamp, was a tall, broad, twenty-something man with straw-like hair and a set of hard, black eyes. Tattoos curled around his neck and a fuzzy, unkempt beard grew on his face, only contributing to his creepy demeanour. The black jacket and scruffy, dirty blue jeans he was wearing did little to hide the enormous power of his body; he was muscly and powerful-looking, even if he was dressed like a bum. A joint burned menacingly in his right hand, huge clouds of smoke billowing out into the night air. The sight of him immediately set Max on edge, the hairs on her arms raising instinctively. She didn't even have to know who he was to know that this man was dangerous.

"Frank. What the fuck are you doing here?" Chloe hissed, her teeth gritted and her tone so venomous that it almost stung. A burst of recognition flourished in Max's mind; she knew that name. Was this the same Frank who Nathan and Victoria had been discussing in photography class weeks ago? She racked her brain to try and remember what they'd said about him, but the only thing she could think of was that he was somehow involved with Rachel and Chloe. And drugs.

Frank sauntered towards them, a smirk that made Max's stomach churn curling on his lips. "Nice to see you too, Chloe. I was at a bar down the street, came out for a smoke. Then I saw you and your little girlfriend here staggering about like a pair of retards. Must be fate or somethin'." He eyed up Max, and then Chloe, the grin still on his lips. It seemed predatory now, and Max stiffened. She was fast approaching sobriety now, her body on high alert and the woozy, dizzy feeling from earlier replaced by one of fear.

"She's not my girlfriend." Chloe muttered. Max nodded in agreement, trying to squash down the feeling that bubbled in her stomach at that remark.

"No?" Frank looked between the look of them, incredulous. "Coulda fooled me. What is she then, Rachel's replacement?"

"You fucking asshole." Chloe jerked forward, her fist raised. Max gasped and reached out to stop her, grabbing her hand just before it connected with Frank's chin. Chloe pulled away from her grasp, panting heavily. Her fist hung in the air defiantly and for one frightening moment Max thought she was actually going to hit him, but then her arm faltered and it fell to her side weakly, thinking better of it.

Frank guffawed loudly in a nasty way. "Jesus Christ. You two are fucking pathetic. You need to learn to keep a lid on that temper, little girl." He sneered, wagging his finger patronisingly at Chloe. She glared at him, her mouth open and ready to retaliate. Then suddenly, she seemed to notice something on his arm. Her eyes flashed with recognition and confusion, and then quickly turned a very dark gray colour.

"That's Rachel's bracelet," Chloe whispered, and her voice shook with rage. Max looked at Frank's arm; a blue thread bracelet with a small silver charm dangling from it hung from his wrist, its effeminate style completely out of place with the rest of his masculine attire. "Why the _fuck_ are you wearing her bracelet?" Chloe's voice was louder now, ringing out scarily in the deserted street.

Frank looked down, as if noticing the piece of jewellery for the first time himself. "This thing? It was a gift. Chill yourself, okay?"

"No, you stole it! She would have never given you shit. Give it to me now, asshole." Chloe yelled, moving towards Frank and pushing his shoulder forcefully.

He shoved her back, pushing her so hard that she slammed into the truck door with a loud thud. Max screamed, rushing over to Chloe protectively. She wrapped her arms around her; the blue-haired girl was trembling, her skin freezing to the touch. She looked terrified, and it scared Max even more than Frank. "You better back off now, or I'm calling the police!" Max tried to yell, but instead it came out as a pathetic whimper.

Frank shook his head at the two of them, the smirk returning to his lips. "That'll fucking teach you not to lay a hand on me, bitch. Next time make sure your girlfriend keeps you on a damn leash." He spat onto the sidewalk beside them, taking a long drag of his joint before turning around and sauntering off into the darkness.

Max exhaled a breath that she hadn't realised she'd been holding, her heart thumping wildly in her chest. "Chloe, are you okay? Jesus, that was so fucking scary!"

Chloe moved away, looking down at her feet. She let out a long raggedy breath, running her hands through her dishevelled hair and not making eye contact with Max. "U-uh, we'd better get going. I'll drive you back, o-okay?"

"Chloe, did you just hear what I said? Who was that guy? Are you even okay to drive?" Max asked incredulously. Adrenaline was searing through her veins, every nerve in her body working at triple speed. Shouldn't they call the police, or something? That Frank guy had practically assaulted Chloe!

"I don't want to talk about it, okay Max? I just want to get you home safe. I'll be okay to drive, I'm practically sober anyway." Chloe muttered in a tired voice, jumping into the driver's seat of the truck. Max blinked in surprise. She was _sober?_ But the way they'd danced…she'd thought Chloe was as drunk as her.

Max shook the thoughts from her mind, hurrying around to the passenger side and slipping in, her breath making clouds of frost in the cool night air. Chloe started up the truck, pulling away from the curb and zooming down the street, past the same tattoo shops and bars and run-down buildings that they'd passed on the way here. That felt like a lifetime ago, now. Max checked the time on the dashboard- 11pm precisely. Shit. She really hoped she'd be able to sneak back into Blackwell uncaught.

They drove in silence for a few minutes, the only sound the _whoosh_ of the wind against the windowpanes. Arcadia Bay was practically deserted; a ghost town, almost. If it were Seattle, the city would have just been waking up; clubs and bars packed with dozens of people smoking and drinking and having a good time, the streets still busy with night-time traffic and the air full of voices and sirens and honking horns. Max preferred the comforting calmness of Arcadia, though- even though the silent streets were kind of eerie, she liked the tranquillity.

She looked over at Chloe, the girl's face a mask of impassivity. She looked cool and collected, as usual, but Max noticed her fingers gripping the steering wheel tightly, her right leg trembling. She was clearly still shaken from what had just happened. Max didn't blame her. What the fuck _had_ just happened?

"That was Frank Bowers," Chloe said suddenly, as if reading her mind. Max leant in- she was clearly ready to talk about it now. "He's a drug dealer. He used to deal to me and Rachel, and some kids from Blackwell. Nathan Prescott was one of them. We have…history. Ugly history. Rachel and I used to hang out with him a lot, mostly because he would sometimes hook us up with free drugs."

"Hung out? Did you two…uh..." Max stuttered awkwardly, unsure how to ask what she was thinking.

Even in the darkness of the truck, Chloe's face of revulsion was obvious. "Jesus, no we didn't have sex! Gross, man. He never even tried. I made the mistake of borrowing money from him to get me and Rachel to Los Angeles and when I couldn't pay him back, things turned kind of sour. He started threatening me, harassing me, all kinds of hella weird shit. Then Rachel disappeared and he eased up a bit, thank God. Still creeps me the fuck out, though. I've been dodging him for months."

Max blinked, processing the information. "He seemed positively fucking evil."

"Nah, Frank's not a complete monster. He's just your regular Arcadia asshole, times ten. He's definitely not as hardcore as he fronts- all he cares about is his cash, stash, and mangy ass dog."

"He sure as hell scared _me._ I can't believe he pushed you."

Chloe shrugged. "I've had worse from my step-ass. What I don't understand is why he had Rachel's fucking bracelet. She never would have given that to him."

Max paused for a moment, unsure how to phrase her words in a way that wouldn't get Chloe riled up. "Maybe her and Frank…maybe he had a thing for her?"

Chloe shook her head vehemently, her mouth set in that hard line which meant she was irritated. Shit. "No. No freaking way. I used to think they had something going on- he was always all over her like flies on dog shit- but when I asked her she said no. I believe her. She wouldn't lie to me…she wouldn't do that."

Max bit her lip. Rachel was such a sore subject for Chloe, it was difficult to know what questions to ask and what to completely avoid. She decided to drop the subject all together. "Well, I had a good time tonight. A hella good time."

Chloe smiled and chuckled softly, bringing the truck to a stop. Max looked out of the window and realised they were back in the Blackwell parking lot. A spark of disappointment shot through her chest; she didn't want this night to end yet. Also, she had no freaking clue how she was going to sneak back into Blackwell all 'Maxgyver' style- her clumsiness plus the alcohol still circulating in her system practically guaranteed disaster.

"I like it when you say 'hella', Caulfield. It's _hella_ adorable," Chloe said, a teasing smirk playing on her lips.

Max blushed. "Careful now, you'll wear it out. Oh, I'd better give you back your stuff." She pulled off the beanie, passing it to Chloe who pulled it over her own head with a grin, and began to shrug off the jacket when the other girl stopped her.

"Keep it. I don't want you to get cold going back to your dorm. Besides, it looks cute on you." Chloe winked, her eyes playful. Max's heart skipped a beat; she thought for a second that it might actually burst after what Chloe had just said. The two girls stared at each other for a minute, smiling. Even though it was cold in the car, a slow warmth was spreading in Max's body- from the tips of her toes to the tops of her ears. She felt hot and gooey, like the inside of one of those molten lava cakes.

Chloe unbuckled her seat belt, leaning forward suddenly so that her face was right up close to hers. Max felt her stomach seize up and muscles clench in anticipation- was this it? Was Chloe going to…was this actually happening? She closed her eyes, her heart pounding frantically in her chest. And then she felt it- Chloe's soft lips on her… _cheek._

Oh.

"Sleep tight, nerd girl." Chloe whispered in her ear, her breath tickling Max's skin. Then she pulled away, slipping her seat belt back on and shooting her a wink.

Max exhaled slowly, a wave of undecipherable emotions flourishing in her chest. "Bye, Chloe." She muttered with a tight smile, hopping out of the car. As she turned to shut the door, her foot skidded on the sidewalk and she almost fell ass-first onto the concrete, flailing wildly and grabbing onto the edge of the truck for support. _'Fucking idiot,_ ' she cursed herself as she regained her footing, shutting the door and putting every ounce of strength in her into not tripping over again as she walked towards the school, her cheeks aflame.

Even though she had her back to her, Max could tell Chloe was smirking.

 **A/N:** Writing the drunk parts for Max was so difficult, damn. I've been drunk before of course but I had no idea how to put it down in words, so I hope I did okay. Thank you for all your sweet comments, I honestly get so happy when I see that someone has posted a review about this story. Also, as you can probably already tell, music plays a huge part in this story. Its obvious that both Max and Chloe are pretty huge music geeks, and so am I, so I like to find ways to weave in songs that relate to the plotline and the characters. I might actually make a playlist for this fanfic and post it when I've finished the story, if that would be something that you guys would be into? I just think that music really enhances a story, and there are so many songs that are SO perfect for LIS and the plotline of this fanfic. Let me know! Hope you all enjoy this chapter xoxo


	10. Chapter 10

_Oh fuck. Oh no._

Max sat up slowly in her bed, a searing pain ripping through her temple. The early morning sunlight glared in through her windows, the harsh rays burning her eye sockets as if she was a vampire. She shielded her face with her hand, biting down the sharp stab of pain that ricocheted through her throbbing head as she moved. Her mouth felt dry and fuzzy, like cotton wool, and she could taste her own breath- it tasted like a glass of milk after brushing your teeth, mixed with the leftover acidity of vomit. _Ew._

 _Oh God._ What. The. Fuck. Had happened last night?! There were big black holes in Max's memory; she remembered the bar. The slime green drinks. Then there was dancing- she remembered the softness of Chloe's skin, how when she'd picked her up she'd felt like she was flying. What was next? Max had run outside, and…oh God. Oh nononono.

She'd been sick. She'd vomited all over that alleyway, and Chloe had seen. And then that guy- Frank- had shown up. She remembered the curl of his lips as he smirked, and his hard, black eyes. Chloe drove her back to Blackwell…and that was it. Max had no idea how she'd managed to sneak back into the dorms without breaking her legs or waking up the entire school, but it appeared that she'd done it. She looked around the room; her black dress was discarded in a heap on the floor, beside her bag and those awful stilettos. The time on the wall read 8:45am, and Max almost peed herself in panic before she realised that her first class didn't start until noon. English, with Mrs Tate. Fuck, she still needed to finish that stupid essay on Orwell that she'd attempted to start last week. But first- hydration. She needed fucking water.

Max stood up slowly, her head so tight she was sure it was going to burst. She opened the door and edged her way down the corridor meekly, staggering every so often and almost colliding with the wall. Thank God the dorms were pretty much empty- everyone was probably either at class or outside, catching the last rays of sun before they faded to autumnal rain and clouds. She made her way to the bathroom, almost slipping on the slick tiled floor. Was some of the alcohol still in her system? God, she'd only drunk three shots. What a lightweight.

Max bent down over the sinks, splashing cold water into her mouth and then on her face, wiping away the crusts of sleep from her eyes and the flakes of mascara dotted underneath her eyes. Ah, that felt good. She straightened up, peering at her bleary face in the mirror. She looked absolutely wrecked, to say the least; her hair was sticking up in every angle possible, like she'd been electrified, and her eyes were bloodshot. Above the mirror, Rachel Amber's perfect, glowing face seemed to gloat down at her from the same Missing Person's poster that was replicated all around campus- no doubt the work of Chloe.

Max studied Rachel's gorgeous, model-like features- her small, button nose, her straight white teeth, her clear, flawless skin- and felt a tinge of pain in her heart. Poor girl. Even though she didn't know her, every ounce in her hoped that she was still alive- living it up in Los Angeles, modelling and travelling and partying with rock-stars. She had to be alive- people didn't get killed in Arcadia Bay. Especially not beautiful, popular teenage girls. They just didn't.

The door to the empty bathroom suddenly swung open, and in walked Brooke Scott, a girl in Max's dorm. She knew her vaguely- her and Warren were pretty close and Brooke was always hanging around the science labs with him, discussing drones and chemistry and other nerd stuff that just flew over Max's head completely. She tried to avoid Brooke- she always acted like Max kind of…. wasn't there, like she was invisible. When she did say something to her, Max could never tell if she was being friendly or if she'd just given her the biggest insult of her life.

"Oh, hey Max," Brooke remarked, pushing her glasses further up her nose. She was wearing red jeans and a sweater emblazoned with lightsabers, which Max appreciated.

"Hey Brooke," Max croaked out, her voice still dry and throaty even after the handfuls of water.

The other girl stared at her in concern, probably wondering why she looked like she'd been dragged through a hedge backwards. "Are you…okay?"

"Oh, yeah, I just had a rough night's sleep," Max lied. "So, how's it going?"

"Pretty good. I'm about to go meet Warren- we're gonna test out my drone on the Blackwell campus. I would invite you, but it's pretty advanced stuff. Only major science nerds allowed." Brooke's voice was joking, but there was an edge to it.

Max resisted the urge to roll her eyes. In the handful of times they had spoken, Brooke always found some way to bring Warren into the conversation- like she was trying to make Max _jealous_ or something. It was pretty obvious that she carried an Olympic-size torch for him. "It's probably for the best. With my clumsiness, I'd probably fly the thing straight into Principal Wells." She replied tersely, feeling awkward.

"Now that would be funny. Anyway, I'd better go. I'll tell Warren you say hey." Brooke replied, rinsing her hands in the sink and peering at herself in the mirror for a second, smoothing down her ponytail.

"Oh, that's okay. I'll probably see him later anyway." Max couldn't resist adding that, just for the flash of resentment that whipped across Brooke's face a moment later. Was she seriously jealous of Max? She felt like screaming at her ' _You can have him! He's all yours- I don't want him!'_.

"Of course you will." Brooke muttered bitterly, flashing Max a tight smile before striding out of the bathroom- not without slamming the door shut with a loud bang.

Max winced at the sound, her temple still pounding. She took one last gulp of water from the tap and then retreated slowly back to her room, praying that she wouldn't run into Victoria and her minions. Once inside her room, she avoided the bed and sat at her desk instead, knowing that if she laid down for one second she'd probably sleep for the next year. Across the room in her clutch bag her phone buzzed loudly, and she reluctantly grabbed the bag, pulling it towards her and hoping it wasn't a text from Warren asking if she wanted to join his and Brooke's 'drone session'.

As she peered at the screen, though, her heart immediately seized in her chest. It wasn't a text; it was a call. From _Chloe._

Max lifted the phone up to her ear very slowly, partially considering throwing the thing across the room and crawling under her bedcovers for all eternity. How could she face Chloe after last night, even if it was only through a phone call? The girl had seen the insides of her fucking _stomach lining_ and they'd only known each other for eight days. How. Fucking. Humiliating.

Max sucked in her breath, closed her eyes tightly, and answered the call. "…hello?" she whispered, barely audible.

"Max? Hello?" Chloe called down the phone, her voice loud and jovial- of course _she_ wasn't hungover.

"Hi, Chloe," Max said, raising her voice a little. It cracked obviously, and she blushed.

"Morning sunshine. How are you feeling? Last night was pretty…wild."

Max fiddled with the edge of her pyjama shorts, praying to every God that somehow Chloe would have forgotten the puking incident. "Well, my mouth is as dry as the Sahara and I'm pretty sure somebody has lodged an axe in the back of my head. So yeah, I've felt better."

Chloe chuckled. "Welcome to the sweet world of hangovers, Caulfield," she said, and then there was a pause. "You know, I've never seen vomit that shade of green before."

 _Fuck._

Max cringed from head to toe, biting down on her lip so hard that she tasted blood. "Oh _man_ ," she whined. "I hoped you wouldn't remember that part of the evening."

Chloe laughed even harder. "Dude, I remember everything. Trust me, you puking your guts out in that alleyway is a sight that will forever be burned into my memory."

"I'm never gonna fucking live this down, am I?" Max groaned, trying to ignore the fact that Chloe said she remembered everything- even the dancing?

"Nope."

"Ugh."

Even though she couldn't see her face, Max could tell Chloe was smiling. "Anyway, I only called to check that you weren't comatose or collapsed somewhere on the Blackwell campus with your underwear around your head."

Max laughed. "Well, now that's been established you can fuck off and stop teasing me."

"Have fun at school, nerd girl. I suggest bringing a paper bag in case those Dirty Girl Scouts decide to make a reappearance."

"Asshole." Max muttered good-naturedly. She hung up and sat for a moment in silence, fingering the smooth surface of the phone and thinking. Looking up, she caught a glimpse of her reflection in her laptop screen; she still looked unkempt and sleep-deprived, yet there was a glow to her cheeks and a sparkle in her eyes that hadn't been there five minutes ago in the bathroom.

As she put her phone away in the clutch bag, her fingers brushed against something hard and sharp. It was the photograph she'd taken last night, the one of Chloe dancing. She pulled it out, examining it; it was a surprisingly good shot, considering how dark and hazy it had been in the bar. Chloe's long, skinny arms were above her head, and her mouth was open and laughing. Her cheeks were pink and shiny with sweat, her turquoise hair ruffled underneath her beanie. Max's gaze hovered over her torso; her top had ridden up, exposing her flat stomach. She noticed with surprise that Chloe's navel was pierced, and a small silver ring glowed in her belly button. Her cleavage was slightly exposed, fringed by a fire-engine red bra.

She looked beautiful.

Max felt her chest constrict and a warm, gooey feeling erupt in her pelvis. Her head was suddenly spinning again, and she gripped the side of her desk to keep herself from keeling over. Thoughts swarmed in her head at lightning speed; she felt overwhelmed and confused and scared all at once. She looked back at the picture, her heart pounding and a sinking feeling of realisation pooling in her gut.

Chloe wasn't stereotypically beautiful, no. She didn't have long blonde shiny hair, or tan skin, or huge boobs, and she didn't wear cherry flavoured lip gloss or shop at Abercrombie and Fitch. But she was completely stunning, plain and simple. She had striking features, arresting eyes, and a sexiness about her that seemed to attract literally everyone. Yet she was more than that, too. She was intelligent. Witty. Fearless. Enigmatic.

And Max had a huge, stinking crush on her.

The realisation hit her head on, like a lorry travelling at full speed. Max's throat tightened and she made a strangled choking sound, erupting into a fit of coughing which only exacerbated the pounding sensation in her head. A wave of nausea burst in her stomach, and for one frightening moment she thought she was going to be sick again.

She liked Chloe. As in, _like_ liked. Chloe, her friend. Her friend who was a _girl._

What did this mean? Did this make her gay? But Max had never really been attracted to a girl before, aside from a few harmless girl-crushes on female celebrities. She'd certainly never _dated_ a girl- then again, she hadn't dated _anyone._ Joey Calzooki with the hooked nose and unfortunate chin acne in fifth grade didn't count.

But what about her ginormous, all-consuming crush on Mr Jefferson? Or the skater boys at Blackwell- she couldn't even walk past them without blushing. She'd liked guys in Seattle, too. And, even though it pained her deeply to admit it, when she'd first joined Blackwell she had thought Nathan was kinda cute. Until she quickly realised what a fucking asshole he was, of course.

Max turned on her laptop, her fingers flying across the keyboard as she logged in and opened up Google. She paused for a second and looked behind her, even though she was completely alone in the room. Taking a deep breath, she typed in **'am I gay?'** and pressed search. A list of pages appeared; mainly stupid quizzes, and a sketchy link to a site called ' **Girlz-on-girlz** ' which she was pretty sure was porn. She scrolled down, her heart pounding wildly in her chest. Finally, she found a link to a tumblr post entitled ' **Gay? Straight? None of the above? The confused teenager's guide to sexuality'**. It seemed perfect for Max; she was confused as fuck. She clicked on it rapidly and began reading.

Half an hour later, her fingers stiff from typing and clicking and her eyes sore from staring at the screen, Max leant back in her chair. She felt completely exhausted. Gay. Straight. Bisexual. Pansexual. Demisexual. Asexual. Countless labels floated around in her brain, each one blending into one another- a massive string of meaningless, jumbled nonsense. Max was more confused than ever.

She'd taken tests, she'd read articles, she'd watched numerous coming out videos…and she still didn't know what she was. None of the labels fitted; she wasn't only attracted to girls, so she couldn't be a lesbian. But if she liked Chloe then she couldn't only be attracted to boys, so she wasn't straight. Bisexual didn't seem to fit either; that implied that she was attracted to both boys and girls _equally_ , but Chloe was the first girl she'd ever liked. Pansexuality completely confused her, she wasn't sexually experienced enough to know if she was demisexual, and given the warm sensation she got in her pelvis whenever Chloe touched her, it looked like asexual was off the cards too.

The one thing Max did know, though, was that her feelings for Chloe were real. She wanted to dismiss them as nothing, as one of her harmless girl-crushes or a silly little phase that would surely pass in time, but deep down she knew that it wasn't nothing. She liked Chloe- she liked her the way she was supposed to like boys.

How was Max supposed to act around her now? She couldn't _tell_ her- what if Chloe didn't like her back? Sure, she was flirty and touchy, but given the way she'd chatted to Jen and Gina at the bar it was clear that Chloe was like that with everyone, right? Besides, she obviously still had deep feelings for Rachel, who Max couldn't even _begin_ to compare to. For a moment she hated her; gorgeous, smart, popular Rachel Amber, with her shiny hair and smouldering eyes. Then she immediately hated _herself_ for even thinking that- God, what was wrong with her?

Suddenly there was a knock at Max's door, small and hesitant. She whipped around, slamming her laptop shut and darting over to the couch. Shit, what if it was Chloe? No, she would have called first…right? "Hello?" Max asked cautiously, her heart racing.

"Hey, Max? It's m-me, Kate. Do you mind if I come in for a sec?" came the tentative reply.

Max exhaled in relief. "Oh, hey Kate. Come in."

The door opened, and Kate Marsh meekly entered the room, her head down and her fingers clutched around the leather Bible she always carried around with her. The pages were worn and looked well thumbed through; Kate was a devout Catholic, and her dad was a pastor. She wasn't pushy or overly vocal about her religious beliefs, though, which Max respected. However, she wasn't overly vocal about _anything_ , really. She was super shy; she didn't seem to have many friends and never raised her hand in class, even though it was obvious that she was crazy intelligent. Max was on pretty good terms with Kate, although they didn't really hang around after class. She'd certainly never been in her dorm room before, and this was the first time Kate had been in hers.

Max patted the space on the sofa beside her, and Kate perched on the edge of the seat timidly. Her mousy brown hair was up in a neat bun, and she wore a demure grey knee-length skirt, a white collared shirt, a cardigan and brown loafers- she looked like a Sunday school teacher. Her skin was a pale, makeup-free porcelain, she had long slender fingers- Max had heard that she was an incredible piano player- and her cheeks and lips were rosy. Kate was pretty, really pretty. _'If only she was more confident,'_ Max thought to herself as she observed her. Not that _she_ could talk.

"How are you, Kate?" Max asked with a smile.

The other girl looked up at her shyly. "Oh, I'm okay. How about you?"

The thought of answering that question honestly was almost laughable. "I'm okay too," Max replied casually. "You know, school stress. Vortex Club drama. The usual stuff."

Kate nodded, her bright eyes dimming slightly at the mention of the Vortex Club. "Yes, I know all about that." Max felt a wave of pity pluck at her heartstrings. If there was one person that the Vortex Club despised more than her, it was Kate. Especially Victoria; she was relentless- throwing things at her in class, spreading rumours about her, calling her stupid names. Last Tuesday she'd even pencilled ' **WILL SUCK DICK FOR JESUS!'** on the slate outside Kate's room; Max had waited until she'd finished and immediately rubbed it off, hoping that Kate wouldn't find out.

Max had no idea why Victoria would take time out of her day to harass sweet, innocent Kate Marsh, who would never hurt a freaking _fly._ She always wanted to stick up for her, but she was worried that it would only egg Victoria on- and make things worse for Max, as well. She knew it was cowardly, and now, looking at Kate's sad eyes and trembling hands, she felt even worse.

"A-anyway, I came here to ask you if you still have my copy of _The October Country?_ I feel like re-reading it." Kate continued.

Max blinked a few times, confused, before realising what she was talking about. Crap. Kate had lent her the book a few weeks ago after they'd covered it in class and she'd forgotten to give it back. "Oh shi- sugar. Sorry, I completely forgot I still had it. I'll get it right now." She jumped up, leafing through the pile of crap on the table beside her couch. Finally she spotted the book's pale cream cover beneath her math homework and handed it over to Kate, who smiled happily and clutched the novel like it was a prize jewel.

"Oh, don't worry about it! I hope you enjoyed it." She said, and Max nodded eagerly. The book, although kind of bizarre and macabre, was pretty incredible. She'd read it in one sitting, entranced by the rich, beautiful language and the different stories.

"It was amazing! I didn't realise Bradbury was such a poet- thanks for lending it to me."

Kate blushed and her eyes lit up. "It's no problem- I'm glad you liked it as much as I did. I love Bradbury's work so much. Have you read _Fahrenheit 451?_ "

Max shook her head. "No, but it's on my list of books to read."

"I'll lend it to you!" Kate exclaimed, her voice growing in pitch. Max had never seen her get this worked up about anything before- she must really love literature. It was kind of adorable. "Oh, I almost forgot. Last night I found this incredible article on Robert Frank's street photography that I wanted to show you- I remembered you saying in class how much you like his work."

Max blinked in surprise. In photography class at the start of the semester Mr Jefferson had gone around the group, asking each student his or her favourite photographer and why they liked their work. Max had said Robert Frank; she adored his photos and the way he captured the essence of American life in the 50s. She admired the way he didn't glamorise anything- he showed things as they truly were, bleak and unjust and lonely. A print of his photo of the little blonde girl smoking hung over her bed, near her Polaroids. It was one of her favourite pictures. The fact that Kate remembered that touched her; it was one of the sweetest gestures she'd ever received.

"Yeah, I do. I'd love to read the article- thank you Kate, that's really thoughtful of you." Max replied gently, and the other girl beamed back at her.

"I'll show you now- honestly, you're going to love it." Kate exclaimed, jumping up suddenly and darting over to Max's laptop on her desk.

"NO! No, Kate don't!" Max was instantly on her feet, reaching out her hand frantically to try and stop her- but it was too late. Kate had already opened the laptop, peering at the screen in confusion. Max could see the list of articles and blog posts she'd been reading, and her Google search, black and bold and plain as day: ' **Am I gay?** '

There was a moment of horrible, deafening silence. Kate stared at the screen, her shoulders tense and her brows furrowed. Max watched her with a sinking feeling in her gut as the other girl took in the words, her cheeks going pink. Oh God. OhGodohGodohGodohGod.

"K-Kate, I-" Max stammered, but her throat closed and she couldn't get any more words out. Not that she knew what she was going to say, anyway. What _could_ she say? There was no way she could excuse herself out of this- it was obvious.

Kate turned around slowly, a strange look in her eyes. "Max, what is this? Are you…are you gay?" she whispered. She didn't sound mad, exactly, but she didn't sound all warm and welcoming either.

"Uh, w-well, it's…" Max began, and then suddenly it all just poured out of her. She told Kate everything. She told her about meeting Chloe, about how they'd slipped into friendship so easily, about how glad Max was to finally _have_ a friend. She told her about Rachel Amber, about Chloe's confession of loving her, about the stab of jealousy she felt in her heart whenever her name was mentioned. She told her about last night and the lesbian bar, how the two of them had danced, how Max felt when they looked at each other. And then lastly, she told her about her feelings for Chloe. That she was scared and confused, but also the happiest she'd ever been. She told her about Chloe's turquoise hair and cocky smirk and big, ocean-blue eyes, and that she was the most beautiful person she'd ever met.

She told her all of this, and Kate just listened patiently, her expression neutral and unreadable. Max came to a breathless finish, simultaneously relieved to have finally told someone how she truly felt and also completely terrified as to how the other girl would react. What if Kate freaked out and hated her? Max didn't know much about Catholicism, but she was pretty sure that they weren't a big fan of gay people. For them, wasn't homosexuality up there with murder and adultery? And wasn't the usual punishment for that sort of thing, oh, just eternal damnation in the fiery pits of hell? Or worse, what if she told everyone? Kate didn't seem like the type to gossip, but still. If word got out that Max was, well, whatever she _was_ …she would never be able to live it down.

"Wow." Kate said simply. "Maybe we should sit down?" She gestured to the couch behind them, and Max nodded.

"Y-yeah. Sitting would be good." Max stammered woozily, and the two perched beside each other awkwardly.

There was another moment of silence; Kate looked like she was thinking, collecting her thoughts. She didn't look disgusted or angry, which was a good sign. "So…you like this Chloe girl. As more than a friend." She confirmed, and Max nodded slightly. Kate paused, and then spoke again. "Well, that's great, isn't it?"

Max could not have been more shocked if Kate had suddenly jumped up and started strip-teasing to _Like a Virgin._ "You're _okay_ with this? You don't hate me?" she cried.

Kate looked surprised, maybe even a little bit offended. "Of course I don't. Why, did you think I would? Because of my religion?"

Max bit her lip guiltily. Maybe she shouldn't have been so quick to judge. "W-well, I just didn't know what your Church's view on…this sort of thing is."

Annoyance flashed in Kate's eyes. "Just because I'm Catholic doesn't mean I'm a homophobe."

"Of course not- I'm sorry, Kate. I didn't mean to make assumptions."

Kate smiled softly, relaxing. "It's okay. I'm used to it. I guess you're not entirely unjustified in thinking that- Christian homophobes do exist. But they're only a very small majority of us. But every Christian _I_ know voted for same-sex marriage; we didn't even think twice about it. _'And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity'._ Colossians, 3:14." she quoted, her eyes bright.

Max smiled. This girl really did have a heart of gold. "That's a beautiful quote."

"It is, isn't it? But anyway- back to you. You know, I saw you with Chloe yesterday, although I didn't know her name at the time of course. I was in my room when I heard someone reciting something outside which I'm guessing was meant to be Shakespeare, and when I looked out of my window I saw you going out to meet her. I have to admit, I kind of thought something was going on between you two when I saw you."

" _Really_?" Max asked incredulously.

"Well, the way she looked at you, I just kind of assumed…"

If this was anyone else and not innocent Kate Marsh, Max would have immediately accused them of tripping out. Chloe didn't look at her in any other way than as a friend, did she? "O-oh. No, Chloe just thinks of me as a friend. Nothing more, I'm sure of it."

Kate nodded, although she didn't look convinced. "Okay, if you say so. Look, you're an amazing person Max. It doesn't matter if they're a boy or a girl, if someone doesn't realise that then they're a- a doofus."

Max couldn't help but chuckle. She hadn't heard the word 'doofus' since sixth grade. Kate giggled too and continued. "As for the whole gay/straight thing…well, maybe there isn't an answer for everything right away. Maybe it'll take some time to figure out who you are. For what it's worth, though, I think you should tell Chloe how you feel. Even if it doesn't work out, at least you were honest. I'm sure it will be fine and everything will happen the way it's supposed to eventually- God has a plan for all of us."

Kate seemed so serene and angelic, sat there fiddling with her cross necklace with a small smile on her face. Her eyes were sparkling and contained a childlike innocence; she really did believe that God was watching down, protecting everyone. Even though Max wasn't religious, she envied Kate's hopeful, optimistic demeanour and the peace that Catholicism clearly brought her. It was endearing.

Max grinned, reaching out and touching Kate's arm. "Thank you so much, Kate. Honestly. You're a true friend." The other girl blushed and looked down, beaming. "Listen, maybe we could hang out some time after school? We could have a tea party and talk about books and photography and stuff."

"Yes, that would be great! I'd love to!" Kate exclaimed. Max had never seen her look so happy. She realised suddenly that she'd never seen Kate talk to anyone, really; she was always drifting around campus alone, clutching her Bible as if Jesus was her only friend. Maybe He was.

Max looked away, feeling guilty again. She'd been so wrapped up in her own troubles and dramas that she'd never even considered that Kate didn't really have any friends. At least Max had Warren and Chloe, and even Dana- Kate had _nobody._

"Anyway, I'd better go. I have my piano lesson soon. Thank you for feeling like you could trust me with your problems, Max." Kate said softly, standing up and moving towards the door.

Max stood up too. "No, thank _you_ Kate. For all the advice and everything- it's really helped. I'll see you later on in class, okay?"

Kate smiled and nodded, backing out of the door. She gave a little wave with the hand that wasn't holding her Bible and _The October Country,_ and then disappeared down the corridor out of sight. Max shut her door, collapsing down at her desk chair with a sigh of exhaustion. The photo of Chloe caught her eye, and she picked it up again and stared it. Even the sight of Chloe's 2D face caused her palms to sweat and her heart to race, one singular thought racing through her mind on repeat: ' _I have a crush on Chloe. I have a crush on Chloe._ _I. Have. A. Crush. On. Chloe.'_

What the _hell_ was she going to do now?

 **A/N:** Max finally admitted she likes Chloe. FINALLY. Again, thank you thank you thank you for your lovely comments! I realised the other day that there is a severe lack of Pricefield fanfics, which is disappointing. Hopefully the fandom will be revived soon- I really hope they make a season 2 of LIS. Also did you guys see that they are making a digital series of LIS? I AM FREAKING OUT. I really hope they get the casting for the characters right. P.S. I am going on vacation next week, so the next chapter may be a little late. Its going to be a long one...and an exciting one;)


	11. Chapter 11

"Hey, give me that back! Hayden you asshole, give it back!"

"Come get it, Courtney!"

"Zach! BRO! Pass the ball!"

"Can you fucking chill dude? Jeez, you need another doobie or something?"

The exuberant, boisterous voices of Max's classmates flew through the air like locusts, tinny and muffled sounding over the earphones in her ears. She relaxed and let the evening sunlight wash over her; it was Saturday, and she was meant to be getting ready to go to the drive-in with Warren, but instead she was sprawled out on the immaculate lawn outside the Blackwell campus, listening to music, sporadically snapping a few photos, and observing her classmates as they sat chatting in small groups or darted about throwing a ball between each other. It was unusually hot for October, and it seemed every senior at Blackwell was taking advantage of the weather and had ditched their homework and Saturday jobs to lounge around on the grass, sunbathing. Max could see Victoria over by a willow tree in a red Polka dot bikini top and terry-cloth shorts, stretched out regally on a towel with the rest of her Vortex Club cronies. They were all in in similar stages of undress; Courtney and Taylor wore skimpy bathing suits, and the boys had their shirts off. Max felt like going up to them and telling them that they were at fucking school, not the beach, and that nobody wanted to see their half-naked bodies- no matter how chiselled and toned they were.

Suddenly a gust of wind hit her, almost scattering her small pile of Polaroids and her copy of _Fahrenheit 451_ (she'd borrowed it from the Blackwell library after Kate's recommendation and was completely engrossed in it already). Max scrambled her things together, reaching for Chloe's jacket beside her and pulling it around her shoulders. She'd been wearing it non-stop since Wednesday; even though it was way too long in the arms and looked a lot better on Chloe, she still loved it. As she lifted the soft fabric to her nose and breathed in the familiar scent that clung to it- a combination of mint, tobacco and vanilla, Chloe's smell- she felt a wave of longing hit her almost as hard as the wind whipping through the trees.

Max missed Chloe.

They hadn't seen each other since Wednesday; David had grounded Chloe for getting home late that night, and she hadn't been allowed out of the house since. They'd been texting and calling each other, of course, but it wasn't the same. At the same time, though, Max _didn't_ want to see Chloe. She didn't know how to act around her now; over the phone it was fine, but how was she supposed to actually stand in front of her and look her in the eyes now that she had a huge ass crush on her? What if Chloe saw straight through her and realised what was going on? Max had never been good at keeping secrets.

Vance Joy's _Georgia_ began playing on her iPod, the gentle, drifting beat a welcome interlude from her thoughts about Chloe. Except it didn't last long. As Max listened to the lyrics, she couldn't help relating them to the blue-haired girl.

 _She is something to behold, elegant and bold_

 _She is electricity, running to my soul_

Chloe _was_ electricity. She _was_ something to behold, as cringey and cliché as that sounded. They hadn't known each other very long at all, but it didn't seem to matter. Max was completely entranced by her. She wondered for a moment if this was how Chloe had felt when she'd first met Rachel- giddy and scared and buzzing with excitement.

Suddenly, her phone vibrated. She picked it up and almost squealed with delight, answering immediately.

"Doctor Max!" Chloe called down the phone, her voice cheerful. It was bordering on freaky how she always seemed to pop up whenever Max was thinking about her, kind of like how those machines detect earthquakes thousands of miles away.

"Priceless." Max replied, unable to keep out the laugh from her own voice.

"What are you doing tonight?"

Max paused. She knew what was she doing tonight- the drive-in. Warren. Why did she suddenly feel unable to say it? "Well, I…I was going to-"

"Whatever. Any plans you've got, cancel 'em. I have my own plan- a fucking awesome one." Chloe instantly cut her off, her voice suddenly impatient and breathless with excitement.

Max bit down on her lip, feeling conflicted. One part of her was buzzing with anticipation to find out what Chloe's 'plan' was, yet the other knew that she'd already made plans with Warren. She knew that she should just say no, tell Chloe that they'd do whatever she had in mind another night. She knew that she should be loyal to Warren, and that she should hang up and go get ready. She knew all this, yet she found herself replying something completely different.

"Okay."

Chloe whooped. "Sweet! Meet me outside the Blackwell school doors at ten tonight."

" _School doors?_ What-" Max began to say, but it was too late. Chloe had already hung up.

 **Two hours later** , Max was laid on her bed staring at the ceiling. Her cellphone was in one hand, a fistful of Chloe's jacket in the other. She knew she had to call Warren and tell him that she couldn't go tonight, but somehow her fingers had lost the ability to pick up the phone and tap out his number. Yet at the same time, she couldn't face the idea of ditching Chloe, either. Talk about being stuck between a rock and a hard place.

Taking a deep breath, she lifted her cellphone to her ear and hit Warren's name. The phone rang once and then he picked up, his excited, goofy voice blasting down the receiver. "Max! Ready to go ape?"

Max swallowed hard. "Um, yeah, about that…I'm so sorry Warren, but I don't think I can go."

There was a long pause. She could practically hear Warren's disappointment hovering in the silence. "What? W-why?" came the muffled, forlorn response.

A wave of guilt crashed over her, and Max closed her eyes. This was possibly the worst thing she'd ever done to someone. "I, uh, I'm really sick. I have k-killer cramps. They just came on all of a sudden." As soon as she said it, she instantly regretted it. The period excuse. What a shitty explanation to give someone- especially someone who was her _friend._ But what was the alternative? Telling Warren the truth? ' _Yeah, I'm sorry I can't go out with you Warren, I'd rather hang out with the girl who I've known for all of ten days_.'

"Oh." Warren replied awkwardly. "That sucks. I was really looking forward to going with you."

Max bit her lip. "I know, me too. I really was, Warren." She meant it; she loved drive-in movie theatres, and she always had a good time with Warren. But there had been something in Chloe's voice, something that made her want to find out what she had planned. Something she couldn't refuse.

"Well, maybe we could go another week? There's an upcoming showing of _Rocky Horror_ near Halloween. I usually hate musicals, but this one's kinda funny. People go watch it in costume- last year I swear I saw our math teacher dressed up as Rocky." Warren suggested, his voice hopeful.

"Mr Periwinkle? Oh God, the thought of him in tiny gold shorts is already giving me nightmares."

Warren laughed. "It was a sight that I don't think I'll ever be able to forget."

"I bet. Anyway, I'm really sorry that I can't make it. I suck, big time."

"Don't be sorry, Max, it's not your fault. You can't help that you're sick, right? We can hang when you're feeling better." Warren's sweet, reassuring voice only made Max feel worse. The pool of guilt swelling in her stomach rose and washed over her.

"Yeah, we'll steal a projector from somewhere and watch _Planet of the Apes_ on the side of the school building. Create our own DIY drive-in theatre." Max joked.

"That would be fucking sick! We'd make a fortune charging people for tickets. No Vortex Club allowed, though."

"No way. It'll be a very exclusive affair." Max replied in a haughty accent, and they both laughed.

"Well, get better soon Max. I'd bring you some chicken soup, but the last time I tried to cook I set the pot on fire. Christmas, 2007. It's safe to say my mom wasn't best pleased."

Max chuckled. "I think I'll survive, as tempting as burnt chicken soup sounds. Thank you for understanding, though, Warren. I'll pay you back for the tickets ASAP."

"Nah, it's all cool, you don't need to do that. Although if you are feeling especially guilty, those cookies your mom sent you last month were pretty good. Any chance of her sending another batch?"

"Deal. The cookies will be at your disposal within the week. I'll talk to you later, Warren."

"Bye, Max. Get better soon." Warren said softly, and then hung up. Max sat there for a moment, her temple pounding. She could feel the lurking threat of a stress headache; she hated lying, especially to her friends. Especially to _Warren_ , who was as sweet and loveable as a puppy dog. It was a shitty fucking thing of her to do, and she looked at her phone, debating calling him back and saying she was fine, that she was going with him to the movie after all.

As if encouraging her, her phone lit up. Except it wasn't Warren, it was Chloe.

 **T-Minus 5 hours and counting! Xoxo**

Max couldn't help it- she smiled. Maybe one little white lie wasn't so bad- it wasn't like they wouldn't have another chance to go to the drive-in. Besides, she was hardly neglecting Warren as a friend. Yesterday they'd hung out for hours after school in the chemistry lab, trying to concoct a stink-bomb for Warren to 'accidentally' let out in Nathan's dorm room. Except they'd put way too much potassium in and had ended up shattering the glass beaker, landing them both with an extra set of titration calculation problems for homework. It had been hilarious, though.

Max sat up and took a long sip of the grape soda beside her bed, thinking. She would see Warren tomorrow and they would go to _Dairy Queen_ or something, and she'd treat him to a hot fudge sundae- the dude was unhealthily obsessed with them. She still felt sucky, but her guilt was mostly absolved. Now she had tonight to worry about instead- and how the hell she was going to face Chloe.

 **Max glanced at her watch** as she tiptoed through the Blackwell campus- **21:55.** She took a right onto the main section of campus where she'd been laid out earlier, her eyes darting around the dimly lit grounds wildly. It was freezing cold and silent, eerily silent; she felt like at any moment Principal Wells would emerge from the darkness and catch her, banishing her from Blackwell forever. Why did all of Chloe's plans involve Max risking expulsion?

She crept along the pathway noiselessly, her heart pounding in her chest. Every slight movement or sound in the shrubbery lining the campus set her on edge; what if David was on duty tonight? If he caught her and Chloe sneaking around, she didn't even want to imagine what would happen. Speaking of the blue-haired girl, she was nowhere to be seen. She had said to meet at ten, right? Max had no idea what Chloe had planned, or why it involved school. In fact, she wasn't sure she wanted to know now. In theory the idea of sneaking out had seemed so wild and exciting, but now it was verging on the terrifying.

Suddenly, Max felt a pair of hands clamp down on her shoulders, accompanied by a loud yell. "BOO-YAH!"

She let out a piercing scream, thrashing wildly. The hands moved from her shoulders to her mouth and smothered her cries, twisting her round to face whoever it was. She looked up, terrified, into a pair of laughing ocean-blue eyes.

 _Chloe._

Max wrenched away from her grasp, her heart thudding so furiously in her chest that she thought she might actually be having a heart attack. " _Shit!_ Chloe, what the fuck?"

"Get it, boo-yah? Like I'm a scary punk ghost." Chloe laughed loudly and uncontrollably, her eyes glinting.

"More like a scary punk _asshole._ Jesus, Chloe, you almost gave me a heart attack!" Max hissed, looking around to check that Blackwell security hadn't surrounded them, ready to haul them both to the Principal's office.

"Aw, were you afraid? Did Maxie poop her pants?" Chloe teased in a baby voice, and Max shoved her hard on the arm in retaliation.

"I hate you." She muttered, but couldn't help but grin grudgingly. "So, what's this mysterious plan? We're not breaking into the school, are we?"

There was a moment of silence, and Chloe's smirk widened. "Well…"

"Chloe, tell me that's not your plan. _Tell me_ that's not why you asked me to meet you." Max demanded, her voice shaking slightly. No way was this happening!

"Drum-roll, please." Chloe announced, reaching into her pockets. "May I present to you the spare keys to Blackwell! Thank you, step-prick."

Max stared at the silver set of keys jangling in her hands, their metallic sheen glinting alluringly in the moonlight. Oh no. Chloe was serious. "W-why do you have those?" Max whispered, although she already knew.

"Isn't it obvious, Sherlock? We're breaking in." Chloe said simply in an ' _uh duh'_ voice, as if she'd just announced that two plus two equals four or that the sky is blue. "C'mon, nerd girl." She grabbed Max's hand before she could respond and darted towards the main doors, dragging Max along behind her. They reached the entrance, both breathless- Chloe with excitement and Max with fear- and paused for a second.

"Chloe, wait a minute. We seriously can't do this- it's breaking and entering. We could get in serious trouble!" Max pleaded, holding Chloe's hand tight. She could hear the whine in her voice and it sounded completely pathetic, even to her. She was sure that had Rachel been here, she wouldn't give two shits about getting into trouble. Her Saturday nights had probably involved shenanigans similar to this, whilst Max's were more 'tea and a good book'.

"If I have a key how can it be breaking? They can't charge us for just entering, Caulfield." Chloe pointed out.

"But if they catch us-"

"They won't." Chloe cut her off, moving closer. Max looked away, feeling conflicted, but the blue-haired girl touched her face lightly and moved it back towards her. "Trust me." She whispered, her cigarette-scented breath tickling Max's cheeks. The two stared at each other for a moment. Max felt her heart quicken by half a beat; what with all the excitement, she'd forgotten for a few minutes about how she felt for Chloe. About how her touch sent bolts of electricity, sudden and violent, through her nerves. For one terrifying moment, she was sure the other girl could tell how she felt, that she was looking into her eyes and seeing the huge, overwhelming crush that lurked beneath them. But then Chloe pulled away, shoving one of the keys into the door. The lock clicked and she pushed the door open, its creaky wooden groan echoing into the night.

She squealed and looked back at Max, grinning ear-to-ear like a Cheshire cat. "We're in, biatch."

Max rolled her eyes. "Chloe the Keymaster."

"You know it. Follow me, m'lady." Chloe grabbed her hand again and pulled her inside, shutting the door behind them and enveloping them in complete darkness. Max squeaked nervously and the other girl laughed, grabbing her waist in the darkness and pulling her towards her whilst making freaky ghost noises.

"Chloe, stop! I'm freaked out enough." Max protested, flailing her arms madly.

"You are so cute. Okay, let there be light!" Chloe pulled out her cellphone and held it up, the built-in torch illuminating the empty hallway.

Max looked around dazedly; it was so weird to be here at night, without the loud, raucous voices of students bouncing off the walls or the squeak of sneakers on the linoleum floor. "This feels like a scene from a horror film. You know, the one where this asshole girl decides it's a good idea to break into the school, and her and her friend both get chopped to pieces by the local axe murderer?" She joked, flicking Chloe on the arm.

Chloe snorted. "Can't say I know that one. How well did it do at the box office?"

"Hah-hah. Okay, now that we're in here what's your plan?"

Chloe grinned slowly, her eyes glowing impishly. "Care for a midnight swim, Caulfield? The Blackwell pool is ours." She purred, her voice dripping in amusement.

Max's heart dropped. " _Swimming?_ Chloe! I don't even have a bathing suit!"

Chloe shrugged. "So? I'm not even wearing underwear." There was a moment of silence, and then she burst into laughter. "Just kidding. Unless, of course, you want to see me naked?" She teased, winking devilishly and waggling her eyebrows.

Max let out a choked scoff, thankful that the dim lighting hid her blush. "You're the worst. Seriously, though, I don't think this is such a good idea…"

"Oh, c'mon Max! Live a little! It'll be fun. We'll be in there half an hour tops, okay?" Chloe begged, jostling Max's arms playfully. "So. Splish-splash?"

Max couldn't help but grin, a giggle escaping her mouth. Maybe it wasn't such a bad idea, after all. Half an hour in the pool wouldn't hurt, right? "You're right. Let's do it. Splish-splash!"

Chloe hollered loudly and grinned, clapping her hands together eagerly. "Race you to the pool!" She took off without warning, sprinting down the hallway with the torch, the light bouncing off the walls manically.

Max squealed and darted after her, running as fast as her little legs could carry her. They raced down corridor after corridor, laughing so loud that it was a miracle they didn't wake up the entirety of the Blackwell campus. Finally they reached the gaudy orange door to the pool changing rooms, almost slipping over in the struggle to be the first one to touch it.

"HAH!" Chloe shouted, slapping the door loudly. "I win!"

Max winced. "Chloe, ssh! Is quiet not a word in your vocabulary?"

"Pfft, sore loser." Chloe retaliated, although she lowered her voice slightly. "Okay, boys or girls?"

"W-what?" Max stuttered.

Chloe chuckled. "I meant boys or girls _locker room_ , Caulfield."

Max blushed, embarrassed. Oh. Obviously. "Girls, of course."

Chloe raised an eyebrow, cocking her head slightly. "Girls? Ooh la-la." She simpered, before spinning around and unlocking the orange door, sauntering over to the female locker room. "Let me check if the pool's heated."

Max followed her through the locker room to the pool, the overwhelming stench of chlorine smacking her in the face. It brought back memories of being on the Arcadia Bay Middle School swim team when she was a sixth grader; they'd trained at the Blackwell pool every Saturday and Sunday without fail, as the middle school didn't have one. She remembering looking up at Blackwell's impressive exterior as a young girl- grand and intimidating, yet also beautiful and magnificent- and dreaming about one day attending. It had seemed like a fantasy back then, a dream that would never come true- it was bizarre to think that she had actually made it here. As Max stared out at the vast body of water, it struck her that she had grown up in the same town as Chloe. She couldn't remember her at all, not even from middle school or kindergarten. Maybe Chloe had attended a different school- also, she was a year older. Max didn't remember Rachel, either, or Victoria or Nathan- then again, they had probably been enrolled in private schools all their lives, unlike Max. She was glad that her childhood at least had been relatively Vortex Club free.

Chloe walked over to the edge of the pool, bending down and swishing her fingertips about in the water. She looked back at Max and grinned, her eyes sparkling. "Go and turn the pool light on, would you my darling?"

Max rolled her eyes, making a thing of grumbling loudly as she walked towards the room with the pool control panel. It was only pretence, though. She would do anything Chloe asked. She fiddled with the control panel for a few minutes, pressing buttons and fiddling with levers. Why was this thing so damn complicated? Finally, her eyes hovered on a switch marked ' _lights'._ Oh. What a dumbass.

As she flicked the switch and walked out to Chloe, Max stopped dead in her tracks. Before her, the pool glowed a beautiful turquoise colour, its fluorescence illuminating the blue-haired girl stood by the water. Max gulped, her heart in her throat and her stomach instantly a gooey mess. Chloe had stripped down to her underwear and was stood with her back to her, pulling off her beanie. She couldn't help it; Max's eyes travelled over her body, taking in her long, slender legs, her tattoo snaking down her arm, the back of her black lacy bra and how her contrasting orange panties were just a little too small, revealing her small, perky butt.

Max watched, paralysed, as Chloe moved forward and dived head-first into the pool, arcing over with the grace of a ballerina. _'She would have been great on the swim team,'_ she thought to herself absent-mindedly. Chloe emerged from underneath the water, whooping loudly. Her blue hair was plastered to the sides of her head, and her eyeliner had smudged a little. Even so, she looked beautiful. So beautiful that it almost hurt.

"Oh yeah, baby! Feels like a hot tub!" she cried, treading water. She looked up at Max, raising her eyebrows. "Tell me you're not gonna stand there watching me like a zombie."

Max blinked, too mesmerized to do or say anything. Chloe grinned devilishly and moved forward, splashing her. The water hit her legs with a smack, soaking the bottom of her jeans and snapping her out of her reverie. She squealed and moved away from the pool and Chloe, who was now squirting water out of her mouth in her direction.

"Don't you dare! You're gonna make me wet!" Max protested, giggling.

"Oh, like I don't do that already?" Chloe joked, that cocky smirk stretched wide across her lips. "Get in here, loser!"

Max flipped her off, her cheeks burning. She turned her back and pulled off her clothes quickly, feeling embarrassed. She had never liked undressing in front of people- it wasn't like she had a bad figure, but exposing herself in any way always made her feel uneasy. As she turned back to the pool, she locked eyes with Chloe. The girl was staring up at her, her lips parted and eyes clouded with something unreadable. They travelled down Max's body at a snail-like pace, and then rested on her face again. Max resisted the urge to cover her body with her hands; her underwear, consisting of virginal white cotton panties with a baby pink bra, seemed ridiculously childish compared to Chloe's sexy lingerie. If only she'd known that this hang out involved stripping, she would have worn something different. Not that she owned any _remotely_ sexy underwear, but still.

A beat passed, and then Chloe broke the silence. "Well? Are you coming in or do I have to come get you, hippie?"

Max laughed and dive-bombed into the pool, yelling "COWABUNGA!" as she went. She plunged into the water, adrenaline rushing through her system; she'd always wanted to do that as a kid, but the lifeguard on duty would shout at her if she tried. Hah! Fuck you, snooty lifeguard. She swam up to the surface, emerging opposite Chloe.

"Why look, an otter in my water! Dun-dun-dun-dun-dun-dun-dun." Chloe attempted to grab Max's legs under the water, doing the _Jaws_ theme song.

Max squealed and splashed her, kicking her legs wildly. "Stop! I'll just harpoon your ass. Otter's revenge!"

"Harpoon my ass? Kinky. I like it." Chloe retorted, flicking water at her in response. The two splashed each other for a few minutes, giggling like children. Then Chloe stretched her long legs out and floated on her back, spreading her body into the starfish position. Max did the same, and they both stared up at the ceiling for a few minutes silently, thinking. Orbs of light danced on the walls of the pool, darting about like fireflies as the water moved and reflected them into different places. Max closed her eyes and let the familiar feeling of being back in the pool wash over her; the lingering scent of chlorine in her nostrils, the warmth of the water enveloping her body like a blanket, the peaceful sense of floating, being completely weightless. She had to give Chloe kudos- this was a totally good plan.

Chloe sighed softly. "I wish Rachel was here. She would totally love being in here at night. I wish you guys had met each other."

Max smiled. "Do you think she would like me?"

"Sure. You're not that different, you know. She had- has- a great eye for images, for art. You're both hella smart, too. And smart _asses_."

Max glowed at Chloe's praise. "If she's half as cool as you, I'm sure we'll get along. I have no doubt we'll meet soon. We could bring her here."

Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Chloe grinning too. "Fuck yeah. Rachel loves the water- surfing, swimming, all that. Guess it comes with the heritage."

Max looked at her, confused. "Is there a big surfer community in Arcadia or something?"

Chloe snorted. "God, no. The only riding people do at the beach here is in the dunes behind some bushes. Nah, Rachel's not from Arcadia. She was born in Cali. Long Beach."

Ah. That explained why Max never knew her as a child. "Wow. When did she come here?"

"Junior year. Explains why she's so much fucking cooler than anyone else around here. Except you, Caulfield."

Max resisted the urge to squeal. Chloe thought _she_ was cool! "I wish I was more like her- she sounds so awesome."

Chloe lifted her head, twisting her body so that she was upright in the water. "Why?" She swam over to the edge of the pool, resting her arms on the ledge.

Max followed her and did the same. Their arms rested next to each other; Chloe's milky white wrist beside Max's slightly darker, olive-skinned one. "I don't know," she said, startling a little as Chloe moved her elbow so that they were touching. Had she meant to do that? "She seems so fun and confident. Like a rock star. I'm just…plain old Max Caulfield."

Chloe nudged her playfully. "What's wrong with that? I happen to like plain old Max Caulfield."

Max blushed. "But you're so…you're so cool. So is Rachel. I bet all your other friends are too. I can't even imagine what kind of crazy shit you guys get up to."

Chloe looked away, the grin suddenly wiped off her face. She took a deep breath and exhaled, fiddling with the bracelets on her arm. "Max, I, uh…I don't really have any other friends."

Max blinked. "What?"

"When Rachel was still…here, I had her friends. The skaters like Trevor and Justin, the girls at the bar, even Frank, and when she disappeared they tried to keep in touch- well, everyone expect Frank obviously- but it just felt weird. I realised that without Rachel we didn't really have a lot in common. Apart from an affinity for getting blazed and drinking alcohol, I guess. You're…you're the first real friend I've had since Rachel." Chloe explained, her voice low and slightly sad.

Max's heart warmed instantly, the mushy, gooey feeling in her chest growing even stronger. She felt almost tearful- and not just at Chloe's sincere, heartfelt words. It was both shocking and depressing to hear that she didn't have _anyone_ , no one to support her or be there for her. She'd had to deal with losing Rachel all on her own. Just like when she'd lost her dad.

"I- I had no idea. God, I'm really sorry Chloe. If it makes you feel any better, before I met you I didn't have any real friends either. At least, no one like you." Max replied warmly, touching Chloe on the arm.

The blue-haired girl looked deep into her eyes, smiling. "You know, if I didn't think all that wacko astrology mumbo-jumbo was complete horseshit, I'd say that it was fate that we met each other, Caulfield."

Max giggled. "Okay, you told me the other day that you check your horoscope and now you're talking about fate. Next you'll be buying healing crystals and talking about the power of meditation."

Chloe laughed loudly. "See, I told you you're a smartass! Underneath that shy and bookish exterior is the biggest sarcastic asshole I've ever met. Besides me, of course."

Max shoved Chloe. "You bring it out of me, asswipe."

"Asswipe, nice. Hella classy, Caulfield." Chloe muttered, and the two of them giggled, elbowing each other. "Anyways, about the confidence thing. It'll happen, don't stress about it. Once you get over yourself, you're gonna make the world bow. You're like the smartest, most talented person I've ever met."

Chloe's tone was suddenly serious, and Max felt like her heart was going to explode. No one had ever said anything like that to her before. "I…don't know about that." She replied, her cheeks beet red.

Chloe rolled her eyes. "Stop being so goddamn humble." She scolded gently, a small smile playing on her lips. "You need to stop second guessing yourself all the time."

Max grinned. "So what do you suggest I do, Miss Master of the Universe?"

Chloe leant in suddenly, so that their faces were only inches apart. "You just have to stop being afraid." She instructed, her voice soft and assertive at the same time. "You can afford to take chances every now and then, okay? Whenever and whatever you want to try. For example…" She trailed off and grinned, a smile so impish and mischievous that Max knew nothing good was coming. This was the same smile that said 'let's break into the school pool' or 'let's go to a lesbian bar'. She knew this smile. She loved this smile…but it was trouble.

Chloe lifted her chin defiantly and looked Max dead in the eye, her own bright blue irises glinting. "I dare you to kiss me."

Max's heart slammed into her chest. Every nerve in her body zapped to attention, shooting off at rocket speed. She wondered for a few seconds if she'd heard her correctly. Surely that couldn't be right. Surely Chloe didn't actually want Max to…to…

"What?" Max choked out, her voice cracking loudly.

Chloe's grin widened even further, and she nodded emphatically. "I double dare you. Kiss me now." She instructed, her voice light and playful, as if she was a little girl daring Max to eat a handful of sand from the sandpit in the playground.

Max felt paralysed with fear. She stared at Chloe, her eyes wide and unblinking, dumbfounded into silence. _No._ This couldn't be happening. Did Chloe… _like_ her? Or could she tell that Max liked _her,_ was that it? Was this a game, or something more?

Max's eyes bored into the blue-haired girl's, and then travelled down to her pink, parted lips.

 _Fuck it._

She leant forward, planting her lips onto Chloe's, and kissed her. It was soft, and quick- a peck, really- and Chloe pulled away almost instantly, a look of complete shock on her face.

There was a moment of excruciatingly painful silence. A million and one sirens were going off in Max's head, ringing so piercingly loud that she almost winced. _She kissed Chloe. She kissed Chloe. She. Kissed. Chloe._ Oh God, she'd totally fucked it up. It was only a dare, only a joke, and she'd taken it seriously. She'd let her feelings slip. Oh _fuck._

Chloe blinked at her, her cheeks turning slightly pink, as if surprised that Max would actually follow through on the dare. A beat passed, and then she moved in suddenly, crashing her lips onto Max's.

Max did nothing for a moment, her lips completely frozen in shock. Then Chloe slipped her tongue into her mouth, hot and fierce, and she jolted to life, moving her lips with the other girl's.

And then they were kissing.

 **A:N/** I just have one word for this chapter. AHHHHHHHHHHH! Also, sorry it's so long. ;) I've missed you guys and this fic! It's good to be back writing again. Also it won't let me do spaces to signify a time gap, so if anything is in bold it's because it's a text message or it's because there's been a change in time in the story. Just though I'd clear that up. Thanks for reading :)


	12. Chapter 12

' _Oh. My. God.'_

That was all Max could think as she pressed her lips against Chloe's, the same phrase cartwheeling through her mind like it was stuck on a loop. Her nerves were electrified- as if they'd been set on fire-, her heart was slammed against her ribcage, and her stomach had turned to goo.

Yet it was the greatest feeling she'd ever experienced.

Chloe's wet, warm tongue slid against Max's, and she wrapped her arms around her back and pulled her in so their torsos were pressed up against each other. Max let her hands travel up the blue-haired girl's slippery, soft arms and then tangled her fingers in her hair, involuntarily letting out a small moan of pleasure. The kiss deepened, raw and intense and exciting all at once. Chloe's mouth tasted sweet and oh-so-delicious, like cigarettes and mint and cinnamon, and her lips were soft yet hard and forceful at the same time. Her long, skinny fingers ran over Max's back and then over her shoulders, slipping underneath her bra strap.

Chloe sucked Max's tongue into her mouth and massaged it with her own, using her right hand to playfully tug at a strand of her chestnut hair. A jolt of electricity shot through Max, and she could feel the pressure mounting in her chest. With a soft gasp she reluctantly pulled away, breathless and panting for air. Chloe pulled back as well, letting out a sharp exhale. The two girls stared at each other for one long, silent moment, their lips swollen and mid-pucker.

"Holy shit." They both muttered simultaneously, and then let out an awkward laugh. There was another pause, wherein Max began to process what had just happened. She had just had her first kiss…with _Chloe. Chloe_ had fucking kissed her. HER. Did she like her? She must do, if she had kissed her. What the fuck did this _mean?_

Chloe moved back slightly, pushing her wet hair out of her face. Her cheeks were a little pink and her pupils slightly dilated, but other than that she looked relatively composed. Compared to Max, who was a beet-red, gasping mess. "Damn, Caulfield. Kissed a lot of girls before?" she teased, the trademark cocky smirk returning to her lips. Max noticed her voice was slightly shaken, though.

"U-uh," Max stammered, raising her hand to her face to push back a loose strand of hair and then thinking better of it when she realised how badly her fingers were shaking. "No, d-definitely not. That was…that was my first kiss."

Chloe's eyebrow shot up in surprise. "Seriously? Well. Coulda fooled me. That was some kiss, nerd girl."

Max swallowed hard, her cheeks on fire despite being submerged in a huge tank of water. "Yeah." She didn't know what else to say. She knew what she _wanted_ to say; that yes, that was some kiss, that was some fucking _incredible_ kiss, something that she wanted more than anything to do again…but the words crumbled on her tongue like sand, dissolving into hard, lumpy granules that grated her throat as she pushed them down.

Luckily, Chloe spoke for her. "Well, I think I've had my pool experienced for the year. Let's jet." Her tone was light and casual, and Max felt like she'd been slapped. So was that it, then? What had just happened…didn't mean anything? The blue-haired girl hopped out of the pool abruptly, striding over to her pile of discarded clothes. Max watched her, trying to simultaneously bite down the crushing wave of disappointment and also the feeling that pooled in her pelvis as she observed the way Chloe's underwear clung to her body and droplets of water slid down her glowing, pearly skin.

Max heaved herself out of the pool too and grabbed a towel from the pile by the control room door, rubbing the harsh fabric over her aching limbs and slipping back into her clothes. Her jeans felt tight and uncomfortable around her legs, but she shoved them on anyway, fighting the urge to cry. She didn't know why she felt so upset- no, wait, she did. She liked Chloe a lot. That kiss had been…the most fucking amazing thing that she'd ever experienced. But what did it mean to _Chloe?_ Did it even mean anything at all? Did she even-

Max suddenly felt Chloe behind her, pressed against her back. She whipped around, finding herself staring directly into the taller girl's unblinking blue eyes. "You look hella cute with your hair soaked in chemicals." Chloe purred, a playful smile on her lips.

Max blinked, her voice unsteady as she replied. "Thanks. You would know."

There was a long pause, and then Chloe let out a shaky breath. "About that kiss…I've wanted to do that since I first saw you, Max." She said softly, her voice suddenly serious. Max's heart slammed into her toes- it was the same feeling she'd gotten during the drop on _Nitro_ when her dad had taken her to Six Flags Magic Mountain a couple years ago. This couldn't be happening. She couldn't have heard that right.

 _Chloe felt the same way as her?_

"R-really?" Max stammered, an irrepressible warmth blossoming in her chest.

Chloe grinned, her eyes dancing. "You're seriously telling me you haven't noticed my flirting?"

Max paused, her brain going haywire. So Chloe _had_ been flirting with her? Every lingering touch, every meaningful stare, every teasing comment…that was her trying to make a move?

Oh my god. Max was so freaking _clueless._

"Uh, well…not really." She admitted, the blush in her cheeks deepening.

Chloe laughed, reaching out and shoving her on the arm playfully. "Caulfield, you may be a nerd but you're hella fucking dumb sometimes."

Max giggled, chewing her lip anxiously. She looked up at the blue-haired girl and they shared a long, supercharged look. She opened her mouth to say something- what, she wasn't quite sure- but was cut off by a loud _slam_ reverberating against the walls of the swimming pool. Chloe and Max both whipped around in the direction of the noise, immediately hushed into silence. The faint sound of clomping feet could be heard from the locker rooms, accompanied by angry, loud masculine voices- coming closer and closer to the pool. To _them._

"Check in here! Those little shits have to be around here somewhere." Shouted a gruff, unmistakable voice. _David._

Max and Chloe looked at each other helplessly, their eyes wide with panic. " _RUN!"_ They hissed simultaneously, sprinting towards the fire exit at the far end of the pool. Max almost slipped on the slick wet tile as she ran, but Chloe caught her and grabbed her hand, yanking her along. The voices of what must be the security guards were getting closer now, bouncing off the pool walls. In just a few seconds they would reach them, and then it was goodbye Blackwell, hello community college and minimum wage job. Max pushed herself to run even faster, her heart in her ears and her legs burning. The two of them finally reached the door and slammed into it, pushing with all their might. For one frightening moment it didn't budge, but then Chloe gave it an extra shove and the door burst open, spilling them out into the cool night air.

Max landed ass-first onto the grass, tripping up Chloe who landed on top of her with a loud thud and a groan. The two looked at each other for a minute, panting, Chloe's face millimetres from hers and their entire bodies pressed together like a sandwich. For a moment Max forgot about the impending threat of Blackwell's security, her mind completely consumed by the weight of Chloe's body on hers and how close they were. They had never been this close before.

"I have to admit, under other circumstances this would be a total turn on," Chloe muttered, leaning down and planting a quick, gentle kiss on Max's lips before leaping up and grabbing her hand, pulling her up and towards the parking lot. "C'mon, run! You're crashing at my place tonight!"

Max stumbled blindly after her, her head buzzing. She didn't even stop to consider what Chloe had said; all she could focus on was not getting caught. They finally reached the truck, hopping into the seats with a rush of energy and panicked laughter. Chloe revved the engine, nimbly lighting a cigarette and throwing the car into reverse at the same time.

Max gasped for breath, adrenaline pumping through her veins at rocket speed. Slowly she began to gather her thoughts and process what Chloe had just announced- and the way she'd just kissed her, so quickly that if it wasn't for the pleasant burning sensation on her lips she wouldn't have been sure that it had happened at all. "Wait, you want me to crash at yours?"

Chloe's head whipped towards her, her eyes wild with excitement and her face incredulous. "You can't go back to your dorm now, you're a Blackwell fugitive!"

Max's heart raced at the thought of spending the night with Chloe. "You want me to stay where the Blackwell security officer lives so I'll be safe? Okay!" She scoffed, her sarcasm barely hiding the shakiness of her voice.

Chloe simply grinned, taking a long drag of her cigarette and pulling the truck out of the parking space with a loud squeal. Max's head whipped towards the Blackwell campus where she could see two security officers- David thankfully not one of them- looking around confusedly, flashlights in their hands. Chloe had seen them too. She laughed loudly, a beautiful laugh- as loud and sudden as a firework- and stamped on the gas pedal, propelling them forward with a lurch.

"LATER, FUCKERS!" She yelled out of the half rolled window, still laughing like a hyena. "Max, we are so fucking AWESOME!"

Max couldn't help it- she started giggling uncontrollably. Her throat was raw from running, her heart was pounding so hard against her ribcage she thought it might actually burst, and her head was swimming- but she had never felt so alive in her entire life. The truck careened out of the parking lot with a huge puff of exhaust, and they zipped off into the night.

 **Max awoke with a start the next morning** , the early morning sunlight streaming in through the windows of Chloe's bedroom and hitting her cheek gently. She propped herself up slightly and looked around the room, slowly processing the events of last night. She'd lied to Warren and ditched him for Chloe. Her and Chloe had broken into the Blackwell pool. They'd kissed. They'd almost been caught by David and the security guards. Then they'd escaped and come back to Chloe's, crashing out.

Despite all the crazy, completely out-of-character things that had happened to Max last night, there was only one that was stuck in her head. She'd kissed Chloe. Chloe had kissed her. They'd fucking _kissed._

As Max looked at the sleeping blue-haired girl beside her, she was sure for one moment that it had all been one big dream. Maybe she had just gone to Chloe's, and they'd stayed up until late talking shit and then passed out. Maybe the entire pool thing had been an extravagant, wistful fantasy that she'd concocted whilst she'd slept. Because if it wasn't…then that meant Chloe actually liked her back. And that meant that Max definitely wasn't straight.

But what _was_ she?

"Penny for your thoughts?" Chloe's soft, teasing voice suddenly snapped her out of her reverie, startling her. She was awake.

Max blushed and looked away, unsure how to face Chloe properly after last night. What was going to happen now? "Just daydreaming." She muttered, letting out an awkward laugh.

Chloe reached out and flicked Max delicately on the wrist. "Care to enlighten me?" Her sleepy voice was husky and sexy, and it made the hairs on the back of Max's neck stand to attention.

Max forced herself to look Chloe directly in the eyes, shifting uncomfortably on the mattress. "W-well, last night…"

"Was fucking amazing." Chloe cut her off with a grin.

Max smiled back at her, nodding. "Yeah, it was. I've never done anything like that before."

"Are you talking about breaking into the swimming pool, running away from Blackwell security, or the kiss?"

Max almost choked on her own breath, a feat impossible for anybody but her. "U-uh, well, um…everything, I guess. All this… _stuff…_ is pretty new to me."

"Stuff, huh? Caulfield, you're going to have to be a bit more specific. You gotta remember I'm a high-school dropout. Not got a lot up here to help me with reading subtext." Chloe joked, tapping the side of her head as if it were hollow.

Max rolled her eyes good-naturedly. "Hah-hah. Okay, well, I- I've been thinking a lot these past couple days. I'm really confused, and kind of scared, but I-I know one thing for certain." She took a deep, shaky breath, and then spoke again. "I like you, Chloe."

There was a moment of silence. Max could feel Chloe's eyes burning into her ducked head, but she just stared at her nails instead and continued speaking, not making eye contact. "And it's scary because I've never… _liked_ a girl before. Not the way I like you. Only boys. I dunno, I guess I've just always thought I was straight, and then you came along and now I don't know what I am. These past few days I've been spending hours on the internet, on tumblr and whatever, trying to figure out who I am. _What_ I am. And it's really fucking confusing because I'm not gay, and I'm not straight, and I don't fit into any other categories, and I just don't know what to do." She finished breathlessly, her heart pounding and palms sweaty. Her chest felt sore and exhausted, as if she'd run twenty laps around the Blackwell track.

"So there you are. I thought I would just, um, give it to you straight." Max clarified, finally plucking up the courage to look Chloe straight in the eyes.

The blue-haired girl was staring directly at her, her mouth solemn but her eyes warm and dancing. She nodded for a moment, looking thoughtful. Then a smirk spread slowly across her lips. "Give it to me _straight_? Interesting choice of words."

Max smacked her on the arm instantly, eliciting an indignant yelp from the other girl. "Chloe! Be serious, you asshole!"

Chloe chuckled, then leant over and pushed a strand of Max's hair away from her face. "Okay first step, Max, stop relying on sites like tumblr to give you a definition of what you are. In fact, stop using the word 'what' in the first place. You're not a thing, you're a human being. If you wanna put a label on yourself, cool. If you don't, cool. You're not a fucking can of soup," she teased gently. "Sure, some people are straight. Some people are gay. Some people are bi, or whatever. But most of the time, sexuality- at least in my opinion- is pretty fluid. You could like men all your life, and then one day you could meet a girl and fall in love with her. Or vice versa. Just go with the flow, okay? Just because society likes to label everything and put us all into neat little boxes, doesn't mean you have to."

Max listened to Chloe, her heart warming with every syllable. Everything she was saying just seemed so _right_ \- it was everything that Max had been searching for on those countless pretentious, meaningless websites. They were all the words that she'd needed to hear, all along. "Wow. I never thought about it that way." She said, chewing her lip thoughtfully.

Chloe gave her a small understanding smile. "Don't stress about it. I've gone through many years not fitting into any boxes, and trust me, it's not as cool and hipster as it sounds. Sometimes it's hella lonely. And confusing. But eventually you'll get used to it. Life is strange, Caulfield. Sometimes you fall for people you never expected to fall for, or of a gender you never expected to fall for. But that's the beauty of it, right? You can't always put a label on everything, or find the meaning behind everything- not if you don't want to. Sometimes you've gotta just fucking _live,_ y'know?"

Max smiled. "Yeah. Yeah, I do know. Thank you, Chloe. I-I can't even begin to tell you how much this has helped."

Chloe grinned smugly. "I know, I know, I'm a fucking genius. I'm totally wasting my talents on Arcadia Bay."

"You should write a book, Guru Price. Or a blog."

Chloe snorted. "Please. Blogs are for people who don't have lives."

Max giggled. She loved how blunt Chloe's humour was, and how she just didn't really give a shit about anything. The two sat in silence for a minute, listening to the sweet melodic chirping of birds outside the window and the _whoosh_ of cars passing by on the street outside, the smell of freshly-cut grass, fabric softener and waffles floating in the air. All the sounds and smells of typical suburban USA. It was a stark contrast from Seattle, which smelt like car exhaust, coffee and fast food, and was filled with the sounds of honking horns, people chattering and machinery. Even though Max loved the city, there was nothing like the feeling of waking up on a Sunday morning in Arcadia Bay.

Suddenly Chloe wrapped her hand around Max's, tracing her skin softly with her slender fingers. "I forgot to say. I like you too, Caulfield."

Max's cheeks instantly turned beet red, her chest clenching so tightly that it was a surprise her ribs didn't shatter. "Really?" she whispered, barely audible. Her fingers started to shake in Chloe's hand, and the blue-haired girl noticed. She squeezed her hand tighter, lifting Max's fingers up to her lips and kissing them.

"Hella." Chloe replied and winked, grinning ear-to-ear. "Oh, and let's get one thing straight."

"What?"

"I'm definitely not." Chloe instantly burst into laughter, clutching her stomach.

Max let out a groan, giving her a shove. "I hate you sometimes, Chloe Price," she joked. Inwardly, though, she couldn't help but find it adorable that Chloe laughed at her own jokes. She was such a big dork sometimes. "So, uh-what…what are we, exactly?" she continued when the blue-haired girl's laughter had died down. It was an awkward question to be asked, but she needed to know.

Chloe paused for a moment, thinking. "Well, I think we should keep doing what we're doing for a while- you know, getting to know each other, hanging out, whatever. Take it slow, see where it goes. But maybe we could, uh, do things like this every now and then?" She leant forward then, pressing her lips against Max's softly and kissing her. The kiss was warm and sweet, and it was just as perfect as it had been last night. Chloe pulled away a few seconds later, a seductive smile on her lips, and Max tried her hardest not to squeal with delight. She would _never_ get used to kissing her.

"Y-yes. Yes, I would like that. A lot." She muttered bashfully, unable to keep the giggle out of her voice. Chloe chuckled softly too in that sexy, husky way of hers. "I hate to break the spell, but I should probably get back to Blackwell before they notice I'm gone. You don't think David saw us last night, do you?"

Chloe shook her head. "No way. If he did we'd be dead right now, put it that way. Nah, we were the ultimate Blackwell ninjas last night. We totally left a skid mark on that school."

"Like it needs another one." Max quipped, absentmindedly glancing down at her clothes; she was wearing an oversized grey sweater of Chloe's that said ' **A friend with weed is a friend indeed'** (the two girls had both laughed their asses off last night when Chloe had passed it to her to sleep in). She glanced at Chloe, laid beside her wearing a pair of tight boxer shorts and a black T-shirt that said ' **ROCK'** (she'd made sure to mention to Max with a wink last night that she usually slept naked, but she'd make an exception for her). Max noticed how her bullet necklace hung from her neck, as always- she didn't think she'd ever seen her without it. She also noticed- with a blush- that Chloe wasn't wearing a bra; her nipples were just visible beneath the thin cotton of her top. The left one looked a little strange- after a few seconds, she realised that it was because it was pierced. _Ouch._ Chloe really was hardcore.

"Like what you see, Caulfield?"

Max's immediately eyes flew up from Chloe's chest to her blue irises, which were glinting wickedly. The girl had a wide smirk on her face and a knowing look in her eyes; Max immediately knew that she had caught her checking her out.

 _Awkward._

Max's cheeks lit on fire for the millionth time, and she looked away quickly. "I-I, uh, I wasn't, uh…"

Chloe chuckled, revelling in Max's discomfort. "Please, feel free. I do have pretty great tits."

"Good to know," Max replied, even though what she really wanted to say was ' _yes, yes you do'_. She looked around the room for a distraction, and spotted her clothes from yesterday in a pile on a chair; their 'everydayness' looking completely out of place with the rest of Chloe's punk rock room. She hopped off the bed and walked towards them, sniffing them hesitantly. _Ew._ The stench of chlorine was overwhelming- there was no way she could wear these.

"See if you can find a suitable outfit in my fashion hole." Chloe gestured to her closet, as if reading her mind.

Max cautiously walked over and opened the wooden slatted doors, peering inside cautiously. The closet was a jungle of ripped jeans, band tees, leather jackets and flannel shirts, all in various shades of red, blue, and of course, black. They were outfits designed for girls like Chloe; cool, fearless punk rockers with tattoos and piercings who attended gigs every weekend and were always at the centre of every mosh pit. Max would _never_ be able to pull this stuff off- she'd look ridiculous even trying.

Her gaze fell suddenly on an outfit near the front of the closet. It was less punky than the other garments, consisting of a red and black flannel shirt, a _Bikini Kill_ tank top, ripped jeans and a bunch of kooky costume jewellery. Max reached out and touched the soft fabric of the flannel, running her fingers down the sleeve wistfully. Even though this ensemble was the least intimidating out of the bunch, it was still way out of her league.

"Hey, there you go!" Chloe called from the bed, leaping up and striding over to the closet door. She gestured to the outfit Max had picked out. "Rachel left some of her clothes here once. She's your size."

Oh. So they were Rachel's clothes. If they hadn't been intimidating before, they were now. "Yeah, but not quite my style." Max muttered shyly.

Chloe rolled her eyes good-naturedly, poking Max in the ribs. "Caulfield, you don't have a style yet. Why not give it a try? Look, you can always revert back to your chlorinated T-shirt and jeans."

Max poked her back. "You suck! I like my T-shirt and jeans…minus the chlorine. But…it would be cool to try on Rachel's clothes. Just for fun."

Chloe crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow. "Dude, what did I tell you about second-guessing yourself? Put this on, and let your inner punk-rock girl come out! Now!"

Giggling at Chloe's bossy demeanour, Max reached into the closet and pulled out the outfit, holding it up to herself. "It is a pretty gorgeous outfit. Are you sure…uh, are you sure she won't mind?"

Chloe looked away, an unreadable expression clouding her eyes. "I don't think she's coming back to claim it sometime soon," she muttered. An awkward silence passed between them, wherein Max almost kicked herself for putting her foot in her mouth _yet again_. Then Chloe looked up, a bright smile on her face. "Rachel always knew what to do with clothes," she explained, the admiration in her voice shining through. "She had this awesome style that was, like, part hippie, part punk, part popular girl. She was big on vintage jewellery, too- she always dragged me to these lame-ass thrift stores that smelled like feet. Amongst all the sweaty Crocs and mangy clothes, she somehow managed to find the coolest shit. Like that necklace." Chloe pointed to an onyx-coloured crystal chain, which was hanging between two handmade safety-pin necklaces that somehow still managed to look indie and cool.

"Pretty." Max noted. She tried to keep the jealousy out of her voice as much as possible, except it was hard; Rachel seemed to be the perfect girl. Adventurous, great photographer, beautiful, stylish, loved by all. Did she even have _one_ single flaw? "Okay, I'll try it on. Uh, can you, uh…"

Chloe cocked an eyebrow, smirking. "Turn away? Okay, fiiiiine. But I seriously don't know why you want to hide that body." She waltzed over to her bed, plonking herself down on her front, facing the wall.

Max was grateful that the other girl couldn't see her blush as she pulled off the sweater, slipping into Rachel's clothes. Chloe was right, they were the same size; the outfit fit perfectly, albeit being a little loose in the chest department. Of course.

Max cleared her throat, and the other girl turned around to face Chloe registered her, her eyes flashed again with the same unreadable expression, her mouth hanging open slightly. Max guessed it must be weird as hell for Chloe seeing her dressed up in Rachel's clothes, kind of like seeing a ghost.

"Wow." Chloe said softly, almost like she was saying it to herself. Then she repeated the word again, louder and more vibrantly. "Wow. Lookin' sick, nerd girl! A couple tats, some piercings, and we'll make a thrasher out of you yet."

"Ready for the mosh pit, shaka brah!" Max did an awkward fist pump, adopting her best 'rock n roll' voice- which actually ended up sounding like she'd smoked a pack a day for the past twenty years.

There was a beat of silence. Then Chloe burst into hysterical, hyena-like laughter, curling over on her bed and holding her stomach. Max blushed almost as red as the flannel shirt she was wearing, instantly cursing herself. _'What. THE FUCK. WAS THAT?!'_ she screamed at herself internally as Chloe tried to gain control over herself.

"Maybe not." Chloe giggled, wiping tears from her eyes. "Let's get you back to Blackwell, rockstar. I'll drive."

 **Half an hour later,** they pulled up to the Blackwell campus. Max checked the clock on the dashboard- **9:17am-** and tried not to think about the mountain of homework she had to finish that day as she unbuckled her seatbelt, looking out at the empty campus.

"Well, there aren't armed security guards here ready to arrest you for breaking and entering. That's a good sign, right?" Chloe teased.

"I thought you said that we were only entering, not breaking?" Max bit back with a grin.

"Okay, smartass, get your cute little butt out of my truck. I'll call you later, okay? Maybe you could sneak out again?" Chloe reached over and ran her fingers over Max's wrist, causing her skin to tingle at the touch.

"I think two nights in a row might be pushing it, sadly. I'll see you this week, though."

"Oh you'll _definitely_ see me this week, Caulfield." Chloe purred, winking seductively.

Max sucked in her breath, and instinctively leant in towards the blue-haired girl, kissing her. Chloe must have been surprised, as her hand froze on Max's wrist, but she easily melted into the kiss, moving her lips against hers with equal force and passion. They kissed fiercely, neither of them wanting to pull away and break the embrace. However, after a few minutes, the need for oxygen overtook and they broke apart, panting slightly.

"No, _you'll_ definitely see _me_." Max whispered, instantly surprised by the confidence in her voice. Had she just _flirted?_

Chloe blinked, clearly a little shocked, too. Her pupils dilated and she grinned, biting her lip. "You'd better get out of this car right now."

"Why?" Max asked challengingly. Had putting on this punk-rock outfit inadvertently given her a punk-rock _attitude,_ too? She was like acting…well, kinda like Chloe. And Rachel too, she guessed.

Chloe leant in, her breath hot and sticky. "Because if you stay any longer I don't know if I'll be able to control myself." She muttered in a low voice that sent bolts of electricity through Max's body. A shudder of pleasure rippled through her pelvis, and she swallowed hard. It took all of her strength to push herself away and out of the truck. Chloe blew her a kiss- to which Max responded with a shaky wave- and peeled out of the parking lot, zooming away like she'd done last night.

Max watched the truck go, her heart in her ears. She couldn't even begin to comprehend what had happened in the past twelve hours. Chloe liked her back. Chloe. Liked. Her. Back. She couldn't believe it. Never- in her eighteen years of existence- had her crushes felt the same way about her. It was almost too good to be true. It was like a fairyt-

"Killer cramps, huh?" Came a low, cold voice behind her.

Max whipped around, her heart immediately sinking when she saw who the voice belonged to. Warren was stood a few metres away from her, his eyes black as thunder and his cheeks pink.

 _Shit._

"Warren, I-" Max began, but stopped when she realised she had no explanation for this, no justification. He'd clearly seen Chloe, and put two-and-two together, realising that they'd spent the night together. She paused for a moment, a hot whip of panic lashing against her spine. _Had he seen them kissing?_

"Don't. I saw you get out of that Chloe girl's truck," Warren said, his tone a horrible mixture of angry and betrayed. Max didn't know what to feel guiltier about- hurting him, or the wave of relief that crashed over her. He hadn't seen Chloe and her kissing. It was okay. "You clearly ditched me to hang out with her last night. I might be a dork, but I'm not a fucking idiot."

"Warren, you're not a dor-"

"Whatever. I don't care what you have to say, Max. If you didn't want to go to the drive-in, you should have just said so. Instead, you led me on and made me think-" Warren trailed off, his voice shaky. It sounded like he was trying not to cry. Max's heart dropped, and immediately tears pricked at her own eyes. She was so fucking _stupid._ "Real friends are honest with each other. So I guess- I guess you're not much of a friend, huh?"

Max moved forward, desperately reaching out to Warren, but he moved away, shooting her a glare. "Warren, please! I can explain. Please let me explain."

"I don't care, Max. Just leave me alone, okay?" Warren muttered, his shoulders slumped in defeat. He turned his back and loped away, moving faster and faster until he was out of sight, leaving Max stood alone in the parking lot. Her temple began pounding, and she gripped her head hard, a single, fat tear rolling down her cheek and landed on the ground with a faint _ping._ She breathed in out and out shakily, suddenly overwhelming with exhaustion. She'd really, really fucked things up.

How had this day, which started so perfect, turned so sour in the space of five fucking minutes?


	13. Chapter 13

_Acting tough with looks that kill, you got me going and I can't stand still_

 _My arms are dying to hold ya tight, you're my little dark dynamite you know_

Joan Jett's strong, husky voice bounced off the inside of Chloe's truck, the piercingly loud bass making the entire interior shudder. Max leant forward in the cracked leather passenger seat and flipped open the visor mirror, checking out her reflection. For once she felt somewhat satisfied with the face staring back at her; her chestnut bob hung in soft, choppy waves around her pointed chin, the pimple on her nose had miraculously disappeared, and, even though it was quite early in the morning, she had managed to avoid 'puffy-eye syndrome'- instead, her eyes looked clear and sparkling.

Max shut the mirror, shooting an anxious glance around the _Shake Shack_ parking lot they were in. Damnit, where the hell was Chloe? She'd gone in fifteen minutes ago to grab them some food, and there was still no sign of her. How long did it take to make some fries? An elderly couple passed by the car and peered in at Max, casting her a dirty look. She shrunk further down in her seat, resisting the urge to cover her face with her hands. Of course Chloe would leave her locked in the truck with her favourite punk-rock anthems playing at full blast. The music was so loud that she was pretty sure the kids back at Blackwell could probably hear it; she made a mental note to get revenge on the blue-haired girl later.

Max couldn't help but smile grudgingly to herself, though. It was Saturday- a week since her and Chloe had kissed in the pool- and it had been the most perfect seven days of her entire life. Even though the two of them hadn't been able to meet much thanks to the boatload of homework she'd been swamped with, they'd still found time for each other. On Tuesday during Max's free period they'd grabbed coffee at _The Bean_ , a hippie-ish coffeehouse near Arcadia Bay's community college that had been crawling with wannabe hipsters who Max and Chloe had had a blast making fun of, and last night Chloe had hung out at her dorm for a couple hours while Max did homework and attempted to teach her a few chords on the guitar. _Attempted_ was the key word; they'd only managed 'G' and 'D' before Chloe had started getting impatient and restless, saying with a sly wink that she could think of much better things to do with her fingers than this.

Max had shrugged off the comment with an awkward shrug and laugh, but the other girl's words had made her gut clench and veins fizz with something that she didn't quite know how to describe. Other than make out a couple times, the two of them hadn't gone any further than that. She got the impression that Chloe wanted to take things slow herself just as much as she also didn't want to pressure Max- something that Max appreciated very, very much. When it came to sexual experience- in fact, pretty much any experience- Chloe had her so beat.

Max understood the other girl's reluctance to jump straight into a new relationship- as much as she didn't like to think about it, she knew that Chloe probably still had feelings for Rachel. She had loved her- you couldn't just turn that off overnight, or even after six months. Especially because their relationship had been so ambiguous, and then Rachel had just disappeared, leaving Chloe with no closure. Besides, as much as she liked Chloe, Max knew they needed to hang out a bit more before they made anything serious. They'd only known each other for just over three weeks, after all. Although, weirdly, it felt like so much longer. Max felt so comfortable around her now; her initial shyness had just melted away. Well, kind of. Until Chloe would kiss her or look at her a little too long or make a similar comment to the 'finger' one, and then she'd be reduced to a sputtering, beet-red mess again.

"Sorry I took so long- I was stuck behind Arcadia's entire trucker community waiting to get their fuckin' hamburgers and crappy coffee." Chloe's sudden, breathless voice snapped Max out of her reverie, and she looked over to see the blue-haired girl jumping into the truck, one fist clenched around a bursting paper bag which released a wave of mouth-watering fast-food scent into the car, causing her stomach to rumble loudly.

"Yeah, remind me to kill you later about that. My ears are ringing- how can you listen to this music so loud? You didn't mention that the freaking volume button is broken as well." Max complained good-naturedly.

Chloe laughed, sticking her keys into the dashboard and revving the engine loudly. "Oops. But hey- this song is a classic! Appreciate the art form, Caulfield."

"You're gonna be deaf by the time you're twenty-five, I hope you know that."

"Will you forgive me if I tell you I bought cheese fries?" Chloe countered, casting her a slow wink. She reached into the bag and produced a large milkshake and a cardboard container of golden fries smothered with glowing, artificial-yellow cheese.

Max's nostrils twitched at the oh-so-delicious scent. "What flavour is the milkshake?"

"Peanut butter, duh."

Max grinned, grabbing the containers from Chloe. She stuffed a cheese-covered fry into her mouth and followed it with a long sip of the milkshake, not caring when the two contrary flavours mixed together in her mouth. "Mmm, yeah, I totally forgive you." She murmured, closing her eyes and basking in junk food heaven.

Chloe snorted, taking a sip of her own milkshake. "Don't I get a thank you, nerd girl?"

Max leant across and kissed her on the cheek sweetly, but then Chloe turned her head and they were suddenly kissing properly. Max startled, involuntarily opening her mouth, and Chloe slid her tongue against hers, rough yet gentle at the same time. The cloyingly-sweet peanut butter flavour of her own milkshake mixed with the richer flavour of Chloe's coffee one as they kissed, a weirdly delicious combination. After a minute or so they pulled apart, Max completely breathless and Chloe- of course- relatively composed.

"That sure beats breakfast." Chloe commented, her eyes dancing. She reached over and changed the song to an old _Hole_ track, doing her best Courtney Love impression and singing about doll eyes, doll parts, doll skin. Her voice was at once husky and sultry like Courtney's, yet also sweet and lilting like sugar. A beautiful combination.

"Y-you can say that again," Max muttered, her palms erupting in sweat. She stuffed another fry into her mouth and tried to focus on chewing rather than the gooey sensation in her pelvis. "So you still haven't told me where we're going- please don't say it's another gay bar."

"Please, don't act like you didn't enjoy that," Chloe sniggered, pulling out of the parking lot with her cheese fries balanced on her lap. She pulled a handful out and shoved them into her mouth hungrily, a piece of cheese hanging down her chin. "You'll just have to wait and see. Man, I'm hungry like the wolf."

"Wicked case of the munchies?" Max teased.

"Hey Caulfield, you wanna know the best kind of weed?"

Max raised an eyebrow. "Uh, sure?"

Chloe looked at her and grinned so widely it seemed like her face might split in two. "It's when I'm WEED you."

"I hate you."

 **A short while later** they were speeding through the tree-lined tracks that lined the edge of Arcadia. To the left, the mountains rose high in the sky and the pale sun dipped below the trees, its rays gleaming through the branches. Chloe took a sharp right and pulled into Arcadia Bay's junkyard, (dubbed by the residents as _American Rust_ ) parking the truck next to an abandoned, rusty sign for _Al's Crab,_ an old seafood diner that had since been converted into a McDonalds.

"Voila!" Chloe announced, and hopped out of the car. Max followed her out, looking around in confusion. Okay, _this_ was a new one. "Welcome to American Rust, my home away from hell."

"It doesn't look very _homey_ …" Max noted, taking in her surroundings. When Chloe had called her this morning and told her they were going on an adventure, she hadn't exactly expected this. Rusty, wrecked cars were scattered sporadically across the junkyard, - she wondered for a fleeting second if Chloe ever looked at those and thought of her father- amongst old washing machines, engine parts, scrap metal and pieces of wood. There was even an old, derelict school bus sitting not far away from them, the gaudy yellow paintwork peeling and all of the tyres gone. This place was full of relics- an homage to the Arcadia Bay of decades' past. She looked back at Chloe, who was standing there watching her with an unlit cigarette dangling between her lips. She looked particularly gorgeous today, dressed in acid-wash jeans, a black denim vest and a tee shirt with a print of Che Guevara on it. The top was just a little too small, exposed a slice of flat, porcelain stomach and her silver navel piercing.

"Oh, ye of little faith. I discovered this place sophomore year on one of my escape missions from step-dildo and made it my own. Rachel and I used to skip school and come out here all the time. There's something about it that's just…peaceful. Like a second home. Pretty cool, huh?" Chloe explained with a wink, reaching behind an empty crate and producing a beer. She cracked the lid off with her teeth- a gesture that Max couldn't help but find hot- and took a swig, offering it to her.

"Raw and rough…it suits you, Chlo," Max smiled and took the beer cautiously, taking a tentative sip. It tasted flat, warm and watery, and she pulled a face. Alcohol was so not her thing. "Yuck."

Chloe giggled, taking the beer back off her. "You're so cute, Maxie. Why don't you take a look around? I'll chill here."

Max nodded and turned away, walking through the junkyard. She could see the train tracks that ran through the whole of Oregon a couple yards away; beyond them, the forest enveloped the horizon like a blanket. The only sounds were the birds in the trees, the low whistle of the autumnal wind and the occasional rumble as a freight train passed. Chloe was right- weirdly, it _was_ kinda peaceful here. Empty, desolate…but nice, in a primordial kind of way.

Reaching into her bag for her camera and taking a photo of the tree-flanked skyline, Max suddenly noticed a small, dilapidated hut just a few feet away. She looked back at Chloe- who was leant on the hood of a beat up first-generation Camaro (Max wished she could call her dad and tell him about it- he was a total classic car geek) smoking her cigarette- and moved towards the entrance to the hut. It was a weird structure made out of grey brick, with tarp across the top as a makeshift roof.

As she entered, though, Max could tell straight away that this was Chloe and Rachel's hang out; there were traces of them everywhere. Graffiti scattered the walls; some phrases, like **EAT SHIT AND LIVE,** were clearly Chloe's handiwork, but there were doodles of fish skeletons and two girls- one with short hair and a beanie and the other with long, flowing waves and a dangly earring- that must have been drawn by Rachel. To her right, Chloe had scribbled **CHLOE WAS HERE** on the wall in her bold, messy scrawl. Below it **RACHEL WAS HERE** was written in more feminine, loopy handwriting. Max paused for a second, eyeing a discarded black marker on the floor. She didn't want to intrude…but she was here too. She picked up the pen and hesitantly wrote **MAX WAS HERE.**

She straightened up and continued looking around the room. A dartboard was stuck to one of the walls with a score tally below; surprisingly, Rachel had way more wins than Chloe. It was hard to imagine the blue-haired girl losing at anything…then again, as Max eyed the amount of empty beer cans and vodka bottles strewn around the floor, she wondered if Chloe had been entirely sober at the time. A leaflet for a rave called _Psychedelic Novocaine_ at the Viper Room in Los Angeles rested near her feet, along with a few crumpled punk-rock gig tickets and flyers for Vortex Club parties. Had Chloe ever been to one of those parties?

A solitary window opposite her offered a picturesque view of the railway tracks and the forest beyond; from this point of view the scenery didn't even look part of the junkyard at all. Max could imagine Chloe and Rachel leaning against the windowsill, staring out at the seemingly endless tracks and dreaming about their future in LA; a future that, now, seemed questionable. She turned away, feeling slightly sad, and her eyes rested on an area in the corner with an overturned crate sufficing as a table, cluttered with magazines, make up, and a souvenir Oregon ashtray filled with dozens of stubbed out cigarettes. Around the 'table' was a moth-eaten, threadbare armchair and another grungy chair that had clearly once belonged in a train. On the wall were posters of bands, an Annie Leibovitz shot of Angelina Jolie that looked remarkably like Rachel, and a print of the LA skyline that said **WELCOME TO LA** \- except Chloe had scribbled out the 'L' and written 'Hell' so now it read ' **WELCOME TO HELLA'**.

Max smiled at that. She moved forward and sifted amongst the stuff on the table; there was a strip of photo booth pictures of Chloe and Rachel- in the first picture Chloe was goofing off, pulling a face and sticking out her tongue whilst Rachel pouted into the lens seriously, like a real model. In the second picture they were both laughing, and in the third Rachel beamed at the camera whilst Chloe's eyes were fixed on her, a dreamy, loving expression on her face. Max's heart felt a twinge of jealousy, but she pushed it down, biting her lip. She dropped the photos and picked up a piece of creased paper that had a list of groceries on it; tequila, soda, beer, chips, vodka, and then 'MORE BEER' underlined twice. Clearly the supplies for a party of some sort. She turned the paper over and almost gasped at what was on the other side; **I WANT TO DIE** was written in emphatic capital letters. The writing was so scrawled and deranged that she couldn't even tell if the author was Chloe or Rachel.

"Shit," Max muttered to herself, dropping the paper back on the table. She moved towards the door and was about to leave the hut when she noticed a silver trash can to the right of her, partially hidden by two spray-painted planks of wood. At the bottom of the can lay a singular piece of paper scrunched into a tiny ball.

Max hesitated; she knew she shouldn't be nosy. Whatever that was, it was clear whoever wrote it didn't want it found- that's why they had thrown it away. She couldn't help it, though- her curiosity got the better of her and she reached into the trash can, picking up the note and unfurling it slowly.

 _C,_

 _You can tell how much I want you to read this letter since I've been dragging my ass to give it to you. Maybe I just want you to find it when I'm not around so we never have to talk about it. And I don't want you to hate me. Where to start?_

 _I met somebody who's so different from the lame Vortex Club snobs. I know you'll have a meltdown when I tell you and think he's gross, but I swear he's wise and unconventional. Kind of scary, not in a "bad boy" way. He's just so experienced and mature. Yeah, I'm kinda obsessed. I won't blame you for freaking. I know how you feel about the boys I go for…about me and boys in general, actually. But I promise, he's different._

 _Maybe I know you're right and this just has to be my secret._

 _I hate not sharing this with you except I know you'd give me that stink eye and grill me for every stupid detail. I really don't want to hurt you. If I even told you that we hooked up last night near campus_

And then the letter ended. There was a huge paragraph of writing at the bottom of the page but it had been scribbled out so it was completely illegible. Max stared at the words until they blurred on the page, melting into one another. Even though it wasn't signed, the loopy handwriting made it clear that it was from Rachel.

Who was the person she was talking about? Chloe had mentioned that Rachel had met somebody else just before she'd disappeared…was it the same person who she was referring to in the letter? The image of Rachel's bracelet hanging on Frank's arm popped into Max's head; was _he_ the mysterious guy? She re-read the letter, her gaze focusing on the words 'we hooked up last night near campus'. Why would Frank come all the way out to Blackwell? Maybe it was somebody at school. Yet, as she thought of her classmates, she couldn't think of one boy who was experienced, mature and wise. What the hell?

"Yo, Bat Max, get your ass out here!" came Chloe's lilting voice from a few yards away. Max quickly crumpled the piece of paper and tossed it back into the trashcan; she couldn't show it to Chloe. It would seriously hurt her feelings. Even though she already knew about Rachel's mystery guy, Max doubted she wanted to know every sordid detail.

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" Max cried, rushing out of the hut and over to Chloe, who was walking towards her.

Chloe grabbed her by the waist suddenly, pulling her in and planting a quick kiss on her lips. "So soon? We haven't even gotten started yet, Caulfield." She jibed in a low, husky voice, a smile forming on her lips. She took Max's hand, squeezing it tight and pulling her towards the train tracks. "Come on, let's go chill over here."

As they approached the tracks, Chloe laid down across them, stretching her long legs out and placing an arm behind her head. She patted the space beside her. "Come sit."

Max stared at her incredulously. "What if a train comes?"

Chloe rolled her eyes playfully, giving her a nudge in the shin with her foot. "Then we'll die in each other's arms, like Romeo and Juliet." she announced theatrically, with a wave of her hand.

"What is it with you and that play?" Max chuckled, reluctantly laying down beside Chloe who wrapped her arm around her. They laid like that for a few minutes in peaceful silence, Max snuggled into Chloe's waist, breathing in her familiar scent of cigarettes and vanilla and allowing the heat of her torso to radiate over her like blanket. She felt safe and content- this was a perfect day. In fact, every day with Chloe was just that… _perfect._

"Railroad tracks always make me feel better," Chloe muttered, running her fingers over the inside of Max's left wrist absentmindedly. The touch made her shiver, her stomach turning to mush all over again. "I have no idea why."

Max smiled. "Kerouac knew. It's the romance of travel and movement, the sound of the train whistle at night…"

"Check out the beat poet here."

"Sssh, you. I'd rather be a good photographer," Max replied, the thought of Jefferson's photography project popping into her mind. Shit. She still hadn't made any progress on that. Her usual photos were of landscapes and random things she found cool or interesting…how was she supposed to convey _love?_ ' _Damnit, Max, why did you let Dana pick the theme?'_ she thought to herself, chewing her lip anxiously.

"You are, nerd girl. You just need to stop being afraid." Chloe said softly, shifting a little so she was looking down at Max.

"Easy for you to say, you're not afraid of anything." Max teased, flicking the other girl on the wrist.

Chloe smiled back at her, but her eyes didn't light up. "I am afraid of some things, Max." She whispered, her voice serious. There was a moment of silence, and then she continued. "But anyway. Every great artist gets rejected before they get accepted. So you just have to go for it. Follow your dreams, reach for the stars, yadayadayada…"

Max giggled. "What about you, Cosmic Chloe? What are _your_ dreams?"

Chloe looked away, her eyes thoughtful and a wry smile on her lips. "I wanna get the fuck out of Arcadia Bay." She said softly but with fierce intensity. Her hands twitched, as if itching for another cigarette. "I was so close. We had everything planned, I had the money, and then…"

The unspoken words hung in the air, creating a thick cloud of tension. Max didn't even have to ask who 'we' was referring to. It was Rachel. It was _always_ Rachel. The bitter seed planted in her gut expanded, swelling and rising up through her chest. She hated feeling this way; her and Chloe weren't even _together,_ not yet. She had no right to be jealous, and she knew it was completely ridiculous…but she was.

"You will get out, Chloe." Max affirmed, but there was an uncertain quiver in her voice, and she knew Chloe heard it too. Arcadia Bay was one of those quintessential suburban towns that everyone complained about, but never left. It was like a vortex; it sucked you in. Max was lucky, she could always go back to Seattle and live there with her parents. But Chloe…Chloe didn't go to school. She didn't have a job. And she didn't have Rachel anymore- or at least for the time being- to encourage her and make her dream become a reality. She was stuck.

Chloe sniffed, forcing her lips into a wobbly, half-hearted smile which broke Max's heart. "Yeah. If I could find Rachel, I'm still leaving to find a whole new life."

Max's chest tightened. What about her?

Her face must have given something away, because Chloe grinned and kissed her softly, tugging playfully at a strand of her hair. "With you, obviously. You think I'd leave town without my partner in crime?"

A wave of relief washed over Max, and she giggled happily. Chloe saw her in her future. That was a good sign, right? "Where would we go?"

"Only on the most epic road trip of all time, of course." Chloe's eyes lit up with excitement, and she grabbed Max's wrist. "We'll start in LA," she pressed her finger lightly against Max's skin, drawing an imaginary map. "Then go all the way up the PCH, stop off at the best beaches, do all the touristy shit. Rachel can teach you how to surf- she's a great teacher. Then we'll go up the West Coast to Portland. We can stock up on beer, tats, weed, donuts…"

"And books from Powell's!" Max interrupted with a squeal. She'd always wanted to go there.

"And strip clubs! Uh, kidding." Chloe added with a grin when she saw Max's face. "But you never know…"

Max rolled her eyes. "Yeah, nuh-uh. Where's our final destination, then?"

"Seattle, duh! The hipster mothership. You can show me all your favourite hippie coffee joints, we can go see a Seahawks game…hey, you could even introduce me to your parents."

Max paused for a moment. Her _parents._ Shit. She hadn't told them about Chloe…or what the two of them were to each other. How could she even _begin_ to explain? ' _Hey mom and dad, so I'm kinda dating this girl, but we're not together, but we're not_ not _together either, and I'm not gay, and I'm not straight, in fact I really don't know what the fuck I am.'_ Yeah, there was no way they'd understand. Her parents weren't homophobic or anything, but they were a little old-fashioned. She had no idea what they'd think of Chloe, with her tats and her blue hair and her ambiguous future plans.

Max knew she needed to tell them at some point…along with her classmates at Blackwell. So far, she'd done a pretty good job of hiding Chloe from everybody. Kate was the only one who knew the truth, and she wouldn't tell a soul. It wasn't like Max was _ashamed_ of Chloe…she was just scared. Victoria, Nathan, and the rest of the Vortex Club already treated her like shit. She remembered the look on Victoria's face the other week when she'd called her a 'dyke'- she'd said it extra venomously, like it was the worst thing in the world to be. What would she do if she found out it actually wasn't too far from the truth?

"Uh, earth to Max? Dude, you totally just zoned out." Chloe waved a hand in front of her face, chuckling.

Max rubbed her eyes. She felt like she'd just woken up from a coma. "S-sorry. Uh, y-yeah, they'll totally, um, love you." She lied, chewing her lip.

Chloe raised an eyebrow. "Really? Somehow, I don't think your parents will appreciate the punk rock stoner who corrupted their sweet, precious daughter. If only they knew that the way their innocent little Maxine looks at me is _definitely_ not so innocent-"

"Shut up!" Max squealed, lurching forward and pinning Chloe down. The two wrestled for a minute, giggling hysterically. Chloe, always the stronger one, managed to grab Max's arms and pin them behind her head, wedging her knee against her legs so that she couldn't move. She leant down so her face was millimetres from Max's, her sweet, tobacco-scented breath hot on her cheeks.

"Got you now." She muttered in a gruff, teasing voice, and with a quick lurch she crashed her lips against Max's.

Max kissed her back equally as hard, hoping the pounding of her heart wasn't audible as she ran her fingers over Chloe's back, blushing as she felt her bra strap beneath her tee shirt. Chloe slipped her tongue into Max's mouth, gentle but demanding, and the kiss deepened. The weight of her body on top of hers was extraordinary, and Max gripped the small of her back, pulling her closer, closer, closer. The pot of sticky, hot goo brewing in her gut bubbled and spilled over, and she let out a soft ' _mmm_ ' against the blue-haired girl's lips.

Chloe's grip tightened on Max's wrist in response and she trailed her lips down to her neck, kissing it softly yet with fierce passion, her teeth just grazing the sensitive skin. Max ran her fingers through the other girl's hair, her body on overdrive, and pressed her pelvis against hers, their jeans rubbing together. Chloe moved back up to her lips and began kissing her again- God, she was a fucking great kisser. Her lips tasted like honey and were soft as shea butter.

Suddenly, Max became aware of a shrill whistle and low rumble somewhere in the distance. Beneath her the ground vibrated, the metal of the train tracks digging into her back. Chloe had clearly felt it too, because she pulled away and moved back, a confused look on her face. Then her eyes flashed with recognition, and she groaned loudly.

"Oh, it's the fucking train." She muttered, letting out a laugh and holding a hand out to Max.

Max took it and stood up woozily, moving off the tracks. She felt drunk and giddy, the taste of Chloe's mouth still on her lips. The two girls watched as a freight train ambled around the corner and rolled past them, letting out a piercing shriek.

Fucking cockblock train.

"How dare it interrupt us!" Chloe complained, feigning indignation. "Do trains have no manners these days? I, for one, am appalled."

Max giggled. " _So_ rude."

"They need to put up a sign or something on the tracks. No horny teenagers allowed."

Max blushed at the word 'horny', looking down. Christ, she was such a virgin. "Yeah, uh, I kinda think it goes without saying."

Chloe chuckled, grinning at her in that devastatingly adorable, cocky way. She wrapped an arm around her shoulders, and they both began walking towards away from the tracks, towards Chloe's truck.

"Y'know, Caulfield, I think we need to find a better make out spot next time."

 **A:N/** Sorry about the hella late chapter, I've been very stressed these past couple weeks what with school and stuff. But don't worry, I'm back to posting regularly every week :) Thank you for all your lovely comments, as always. I get so excited every time I see that someone's posted a review- your feedback/praise really really means a lot. Gah, I love this fandom. Also I am obsessed with Pricefield Vines at the minute- some of them are seriously the cutest things ever. If you want to follow me my name is 'Pricefieldforevs', same as this account. I don't post anything, I just revine cute shit. Also I had a comment about the misinformation in chapter 10, particularly about the definition of 'bisexuality' - I personally know that to be bisexual you don't have to be equally attracted to each gender, however I feel like Max is very confused about the definition of sexuality at the minute and has created perhaps a misunderstood perception of bisexuality. I remember when I was a lot younger I thought bisexuality was 50% attracted to girls, 50% attracted to boys and I thought this for ages until I read a lot more about it and realised I was being really ignorant by thinking that. Max is just a very confused teenage girl who is figuring things out day by day, and if you read anything that seems a bit inaccurate, just know it's probably not my personal belief but that of the character. Just thought I'd clear that up. Hope I didn't offend anyone! :)


	14. Chapter 14

The following Wednesday Max sat in Mr Jefferson's class, absentmindedly doodling little cartoons in the margin of her notebook. She'd drawn dozens of cameras, hearts, and musical notes, and now she was putting the final touches on a sketch of two stick-figure pirates. One had a choppy brown bob and was holding a camera to her eye as if it were a telescope, and the other had an eye patch, big black boots and a beanie in place of a pirate hat. There was a speech bubble protruding from her lips that said **'I'm a pirate, show me your booty**!'. Max grabbed a crayon, colouring in the second pirate's hair blue. She reached into her bag for her cellphone and snapped a picture of the drawing, giggling as she typed out a message and sent it to Chloe.

"Max Caulfield. Just because you sit at the back doesn't mean I can't see you using your phone, I hope you realise?"

Mr Jefferson's voice sliced through the air like a knife, snapping Max straight out of her Chloe-oriented daydream and back into reality, startling her so much that she dropped her phone on the desk with an embarrassing clatter. Nine pairs of eyes swivelled towards her and she looked down at her fingernails, blushing an unflattering shade of crimson. _Crap._ Why did she always have to zone out during Jeffferson's class, and why did he _always_ manage to call her out on it?

"U-uh, sorry Mr J-Jefferson," Max mumbled, tripping over her own words. It was at moments like these that she really wished she had the ability to rewind time.

"Look, I know there's things you'd all rather be doing than listening to some old hipster discussing Robert Capa's _The_ _Falling Soldier,_ but c'mon guys, give me some enthusiasm! Max, you're one of my best students- you can do better. Frankly I'm disappointed. See me after class." Mr Jefferson instructed sternly, giving a little weary shake of his head.

A low collective whistle went around the room, and Max curled into herself, her throat tight. Tears pricked the corners of her eyes and she bit down on her lip hard, willing herself not to cry. Even though she knew she deserved the scolding, - she hadn't been paying attention, after all- Jefferson's words still stung. He used to look at her with such praise and admiration- now he was treating her like she was some juvenile delinquent. Oh God, what if he hated her now?

" _Freak."_ Nathan hissed loudly across the room, eliciting a chorus of giggles from Victoria and Taylor. The three of them tossed Max an identical withering glare- seriously, it seemed to be a Vortex Club trademark- and she blushed even harder, anger pulsing at her fingertips. _Assholes._

"Nathan, thank you for that remark. Looks like you'll be joining Max after class." Mr Jefferson suddenly interjected, shooting Nathan a contemptuous frown before turning to walk towards his desk. As he turned, though, he gave Max a conspiratorial wink and a small smile. Max looked down, suppressing a grin. Okay, so he didn't hate her.

Jefferson continued on with the lecture, ignoring Nathan's indignant complaints. Max forced herself to pay more attention, furiously scribbling notes in her jotter and even raising her hand to answer a few questions, which she normally avoided doing at all costs. The rest of the lesson passed relatively quickly, and before long the bell had rung and everybody had traipsed out of the classroom, leaving Max, Nathan and Mr Jefferson alone.

"Can we make this quick? I have places to be." Nathan groaned in a bored tone, slouching so far down in his chair that it was surprising he didn't fall off onto the floor. Max wished he would.

"You can leave, Nathan. After you apologise to Max, of course." Mr Jefferson replied, crossing his arms and leaning back against his desk.

Nathan's eyes practically popped out of his head. "Are you fucking kidding me? I'm not apologising to _her_!"

"Alright then. You can write me a thousand-word essay on the merits of black-and-white photography over colour tonight. In fact, make that a fifteen-hundred-word essay. For the swearing."

Nathan's face turned purple with rage, and his mouth gaped open like a fish out of water. Max supressed a giggle; she wished she could snap a picture, it was such a comical sight. "If you think I'm doing that, you're out of your fuc- _freaking_ mind."

Mr Jefferson raised an eyebrow, giving an unthreatened shrug. "Maybe I'll call your father and have a chat with him then, hmm? The choice is yours, Nathan."

Nathan rose from his chair furiously, glowering. He paused for a moment, glared at Max and then Mr Jefferson disgustedly, and then stormed out of the room, kicking a table leg as he went. His stomping footsteps echoed down the hall, followed by the slam of his fist into a locker. Max let out a shaky exhale, her skin crawling. Nathan made her feel so uncomfortable; there was something… _off_ about him. Unhinged, even.

Across from her, Jefferson let out a disbelieving laugh. "I can't believe it. How hard is it to apologise?"

"That's Nathan Prescott you're talking about. I don't think the word 'sorry' is even in his vocabulary." Max replied bitterly, and Jefferson chuckled. He gestured to the desk in front of him, patting it with his hand.

"Sit down, Max. I want to talk to you."

Max ambled over to the desk, sitting down tentatively. Even though her all-consuming, slightly embarrassing crush on Jefferson wasn't so prevalent now that she'd met Chloe, she still felt ridiculously nervous every time she spoke to him. Photography was her dream, her passion, and to her Jefferson was up there with Annie Leibovitz and Robert Frank. She was self-conscious about her photos as it was, and having him as a teacher- even though he'd given her tons of praise and assurance- made her even more insecure. It was like an aspiring pop star having their voice critiqued by Beyoncé.

"Max, what's going on with you? These past few weeks you've not been yourself- you're on your phone in class, you're distracted…you don't even stay after class to discuss your work with me anymore." Mr Jefferson asked, sitting down next to her and leaning in, giving her a concerned frown.

Max shifted uncomfortably on the hard plastic chair, looking down at the desk and away from Mr Jefferson's inquisitive stare. She noticed with surprise that ' **RACHEL AMBER 4EVER'** was etched into the wood; so Rachel had been Jefferson's student when she'd been here. Max wondered for a moment if she'd crushed on him, too.

"I'm sorry, Mr Jefferson. I've had so much school work, it's really been stressing me out. I'll try and stay after school more- I've just been really busy." She mumbled, feeling slightly ashamed. She hadn't been putting as much effort into photography work as she should have; even though she adored the subject and took photos all the time, she hadn't even gotten through half of the epic reading list Jefferson had assigned them all at the start of the semester, and she still hadn't made any headway on that freaking project.

Jefferson nodded understandingly. "I get it, Max, high school is tough. In fact, it pretty much sucks. But I've missed seeing you participate in class, and I've definitely missed those after school sessions. It impresses me that you were willing to give up your free time to listen to the ramblings of the has-been hipster photography teacher."

Max stared at him incredulously. "You're not a has-been at all, Mr Jefferson! I really admire your work."

"That's sweet of you to say, Max."

"No, seriously!" Max reiterated. "This is, um, kinda weird…but the prospect of having you as a teacher is what convinced me to move back to Arcadia Bay. Your work is really inspiring, Mr Jefferson."

Jefferson gave a bashful smile. "Well thank you, Max. That means a lot more than you think. And please, call me Mark. It's after-school hours, and frankly 'Mr Jefferson' makes me feel kinda old."

"Okay, M-Mark." The word felt odd on Max's tongue, and she blushed. It was weird to call a teacher by their first name; she'd kind of forgotten teachers even _had_ first names.

"That's better. So, how's your project going? I know the deadline's not until next semester, but you'd be surprised how quickly time passes your senior year. It doesn't hurt to get a good head start."

Max chewed her lip, looking down at her lap and then back up at Mr Jefferson sheepishly. "U-uh, well, I've certainly been uh…thinking about stuff, and-"

Mr Jefferson raised an eyebrow, giving Max a knowing look. " _Thinking_ about stuff? Uh-oh. That doesn't sound too promising."

"As I said, I've just been really busy. I promise I'll get started on it as soon as I can."

"Look, Max, I know I shouldn't say this but…you're the best student in this class. You work hard- usually- and your pictures possess an extraordinary depth of talent. You have a gift." Jefferson leaned forward suddenly, resting his hand on Max's forearm. "Listen, if there's anything going on you can tell me, okay?"

Max blushed, her heart soaring at Jefferson's praise. He'd complemented her work before, sure, but he'd never said anything like _that._ Mark Jefferson thought s _he_ had a gift? This couldn't be possible. "T-thank you so much, Mr Jeff- uh, Mark. But there's nothing going on, not really. It's just difficult trying to balance school work and other stuff, I guess."

A look that Max couldn't quite place flashed in Jefferson's eyes. "Other stuff? Boyfriend giving you trouble?"

Max blinked. Wait, what? Was Mr Jefferson indirectly asking if she had a boyfriend? "No, I, uh, I don't have a boyfriend. Like I said, I'm just really busy." She stammered in response, suddenly becoming all too aware of Jefferson's hand on her arm and the close proximity of their bodies. If this had happened a month ago, she would have been a hot, sweaty, blushing mess, but now it just felt kinda…inappropriate. Jefferson was probably just being friendly, but still.

Suddenly there was a loud knock at the door. Mr Jefferson wrenched his hand away from Max at lightning speed, standing up and adjusting his tie with an awkward cough. Max's head flew towards the door; Stella Hill was stood there with her fingers clutched around a pile of books, a confused expression on her face.

"U-uh sorry to interrupt, Mr Jefferson. I'll come back later." She murmured, shooting Max an odd look before turning to leave.

"No Stella, wait. What's up?" Mr Jefferson hurried towards her, his voice sounding slightly strained- guilty, even. But what did he have to be guilty for?

Stella paused in the doorway. "Well, I just wanted to hand in my extra credit essay. You said I could drop by after class whenever I wanted?"

Mr Jefferson nodded emphatically, running his hands through his hair. "Oh yes, yes of course. I'll mark that for you tonight and get it back to you tomorrow. Thanks, Stella." He reached out and took the essay from Stella's hands and then looked back at Max, a flustered expression on his face. "Right, well, I guess you can go now Max. I'll see you in class."

Max stood, feeling awkward. "Sure Mr Jefferson. See you in class." She echoed, grabbing her stuff and following Stella out of the room. The two girls walked for a moment down the half-empty hall in silence, before Stella turned to Max with a knowing smile.

"So, you and Mr Jefferson were looking pretty cozy." She said with a giggle.

Max flushed. Her and Stella had never really talked before, and she always got shy talking to new people. Especially about _Mr Jefferson_ \- oh God, what if Stella could somehow tell that Max had- or used to have- a hugeass crush on him? How embarrassing. "N-no, no way. He was just giving me some advice."

Stella gave a wistful sigh. "I wish he would give me advice. He's totally gorgeous, isn't he? Talk about study motivation."

Max laughed awkwardly. "Yeah, I guess. He's a great teacher."

"I heard he gave some students more than a few _extra-credit assignments_ , if you know what I mean."

Max's eyes flew towards Stella in disbelief. Surely she couldn't have heard that right. "I-I don't think that can be true."

The two of them reached the water fountain by the main doors, and Stella paused to fill up her water bottle. Across the hall, Max could see Dana handing out flyers and chatting animatedly to students, her face lit up in a wide smile. A few jock assholes were goofing around near the door to the girls' bathroom, kicking it open occasionally with their feet and shouting insults before the door swung shut. Ugh. Pigs.

Stella turned back towards Max, giving her a knowledgeable smile. "You have a lot to learn here at Blackwell, Max. Rachel Amber absolutely had sex with Mr Jefferson."

Max's eyebrows shot up so high they practically disappeared into her hairline. _No._ That was surely just gossip- she too had heard the rumours about Rachel hooking up with a member of faculty. But she'd also heard rumours that Rachel had run away to join the circus, and that she was a part of the Russian mafia. The Jefferson rumour was probably made up by some jealous classmate- no doubt Victoria- in order to ruin Rachel's reputation. How pathetic.

Max opened her mouth to dispel the rumour, but was interrupted by a breathless Dana bounding up to them both and shoving a flyer in their face excitedly.

"Hey you guys! Here, have one of these." She exclaimed, waving the flyer about like a flag.

Max took one, examining the glossy embossed surface. It was advertising the Halloween dance; a logo that read **VORTEX CLUB** glowed menacingly in the top right corner, like a warning sign. "Oh, thanks Dana." She replied, folding the flyer and shoving it into her bag. The idea of going was tempting…but it was a couples' dance. She couldn't exactly roll up with Chloe (who wasn't even officially her girlfriend, anyway) and start booty-shaking with her in front of the entire school. Besides, it was a Vortex party. No way.

Dana clapped her hands together- she seemed to have a penchant for doing that- and squealed. "Awesome! I can't wait to see what costume you guys come in!" Max resisted the urge to groan. Of course it was a costume party. "Max, I know who _you'll_ be bringing." Dana added with a wink and a grin, nudging Max before whipping around and flouncing off, leaving a cloud of her expensive Marc Jacobs perfume hanging in the air.

Max cursed herself internally, wrinkling her nose at the slightly overpowering floral scent. She really needed to sit Dana down and convince her that she was not. Into. Warren. At all. In fact, she hadn't even spoke to him since he'd confronted her about lying in the parking lot. He'd done a stellar job of avoiding her; he'd even asked Mrs Grant if he could switch lab partners in Chemistry so they wouldn't have to work together. Max had tried desperately to apologise; she'd sent him a million texts, left him apologetic voicemails, wrote him notes…she'd even tried to sneak into the boys' dorm to say sorry face to face, but had chickened out when she saw Nathan and the other jock assholes hanging about near the doors. It sucked. She _missed_ Warren- he was funny, and kind, and he always had something interesting to say. She couldn't believe what a mess she'd made of things.

"Anyway, I've gotta go Max- got a ton of homework I have to do tonight. See ya later. Hey, you think Jefferson would want to go with me to this Halloween dance thing?" Stella joked, giving a little wave and heading towards the doors.

Max waved back. "Yeah, Principal Wells would love that. See you later!" She took a sip from the water fountain, grateful for the refreshment, and then followed Stella out of the main doors into the late afternoon sunshine. It was a perfectly picturesque fall day; golden, chestnut and burnt orange leaves cluttered the campus grounds, the air smelled like cinnamon and grass, and the sky was a tender, milky blue, even though pale grey clouds lurked on the horizon, threatening rain. Max took a deep breath and smiled; there was nothing prettier than a suburban town in the midst of fall.

"Hey, Max!" Came a timid yet cheerful voice to her left. Max turned to see Kate hurrying towards her, her cheeks flushed pink from the chilly air and her hands clutching her Bible as always.

"Hey Kate. How are you?" Max asked. She'd been hanging out with Kate more and more recently; she was actually a really fun, sweet girl once she got over her shyness.

"I'm pretty good Max, thank you. How are you doing? I hope Mr Jefferson wasn't too hard on you after class."

"Oh, uh, he wasn't too bad. I just need to stop being so distracted." Max replied, fiddling with the strap of her bag.

Kate nodded understandingly. A slow, knowing smile spread across her lips, and she cocked her head. "Any reason that you're distracted? Maybe it's something to do with a certain blue-haired someone?"

Max blushed, giggling. She was so glad she'd told Kate about Chloe; it felt so good to talk about her to someone, especially someone who understood and wouldn't judge her. "You know me well, Kate."

"Too well. So, how are things going with you two? Have you guys had the 'talk' yet?"

Max looked away, chewing her lip. Kate had been urging her to speak to Chloe about what they were- were they together, or just having fun? – but she hadn't quite plucked up the courage to do so yet. Max liked Chloe, she _really_ liked her, and a part of her wanted them to be official…but another part was resisting. There was just so much shit they had to sort through. Firstly, she wasn't sure if Chloe was over Rachel. Even though she was missing, Rachel seemed to loom over them with a ghostly presence, her name always slipping into the conversation somehow. And then there was the issue of people at school finding out. Max wasn't ashamed of Chloe, or her feelings for her, but she _was_ scared of the Vortex Club- as much as she hated to admit it. She knew most of her classmates wouldn't have a problem with her dating a girl, but Victoria definitely would. And whatever Victoria had a problem with, Nathan did too. They hated her enough as it was; Max couldn't bear the thought of how hellish her life would be if they found out about her and Chloe.

Max opened her mouth to reply to Kate, when a familiarly smug, superior voice rang through the air. "Look who it is! Jesus-whore and Max Selfie."

Shit. Speak of the motherfucking devil.

Max swivelled around, heart sinking. Victoria, flanked by Taylor and Courtney, was sauntering towards her, her lips curled into a spiteful smirk. She wore a black collared dress, with lacy stockings and a pair of gleaming, uber-polished Oxfords. A diamond-encrusted snake necklace that Max had only seen gracing the covers of magazines hung around her neck, the snake's jewelled eyes glinting maliciously.

"I didn't know you were into charity work, _Maxine_." Victoria continued, arching her perfectly plucked eyebrow.

Max gritted her teeth, a flare of anger shooting through her at the sound of her full name. "What are you talking about, Victoria?"

Victoria cocked her head, widening her eyes in mock innocence. "You know, keeping Katie here company. It's always sweet to help the socially impaired, isn't it?" She gestured towards Kate with her manicured hand, giggling. Taylor and Courtney snickered beside her, nasty expressions slapped across their faces.

Max's hands curled into fists, and she glanced at Kate, whose entire face had wilted. Her eyes looked huge and fearful, and her top lip quivered as if she were about to cry. Victoria was such a _jerk._

"We think it's just _adorable_ how you loners like to stick together. Are you forming some sort of fashion challenged club for freaks, or something?" Taylor chipped in bitchily. Max noticed how her words seemed kind of forced, though, and she kept glancing at Victoria as if for encouragement or approval. Taylor was thin, tan and blonde, and today she was wearing acid-wash denim shorts and a matching jacket, with knee length, brown cowboy boots. She looked like a cross between a cowgirl and, ironically, Taylor Swift. All she needed was a hat and a Southern accent and the look was complete. Max didn't know how she could call _her_ fashion challenged.

Max opened her mouth to retaliate, but Victoria cut her off instantly. "Actually, Max doesn't look like complete shit today, funnily enough." She reached over and grabbed the safety-pin necklace around Max's neck. Max pulled away, wincing at the touch and instantly regretting her decision to wear Rachel's outfit today. She knew it was weird to wear it, but the outfit was so well put together that she couldn't resist.

Victoria clearly recognised the ensemble, because she dropped the necklace like it was on fire and let out a short, sardonic little laugh. "What is this, your Rachel Amber Halloween costume? Why the hell are you wearing her tacky old clothes? Were they a present from that faux-punk slut I saw you with the other week?"

Rage pooled in Max's gut and she took a step forward, closing the distance between her and Victoria. "Shut the fuck up." She hissed, anger pulsing in her veins.

Victoria laughed again, and the sound sent chills up Max's spine. "What's her name- Chloe, isn't it? She used to hang around with Rachel and that hobo Frank- Nathan told me about her. Wow, Max. I didn't know you were into train-wreck druggies. Tell me…does the carpet match the drapes?"

"SHUT _UP!"_ Max began to shout, but someone else had beat her to it. Kate.

Max stared at her, shocked. Kate was stood there, shoulders squared and looking more powerful than Max had ever seen her. Her mouth was set into a hard line, her cheeks were flushed, and she was clutching her Bible as if it were giving her some sort of Godly strength.

Victoria, Taylor and Courtney both let out a simultaneous, disbelieving scoff. Max couldn't believe it either; in the past month she'd been at Blackwell, she'd _never_ seen Kate stand up to Victoria and her posse. Even when Victoria accidentally-on-purpose spilt her cappuccino all over Kate's pristine white blouse, or when she spread a rumour around school that Kate was hooking up with Samuel, the creepy old groundskeeper at Blackwell. But now she was doing it- she was standing up for Max.

" _What_ did you just say to me, Katiekins?" Victoria said slowly, her voice laced with venom. She was a good four inches taller than Kate, and she moved towards her, looming over her threateningly.

If Kate was intimidated, though, she didn't show it. "I told you to shut up." She repeated, raising her chin defiantly. Max's heart felt ready to burst with admiration for the girl; she knew this must be terrifying for timid, painfully shy Kate, but she wasn't letting it stop her.

Taylor and Courtney exchanged an incredulous look, and Victoria's eyes narrowed into sharp, menacing slits. "Hmm. Yeah, that's what I thought. What I'm more confused about, though, is what exactly gave you the impression that you could talk to me that way?" Her eyes flicked down to Kate's Bible, and she suddenly grabbed it, wrenching it out of Kate's grasp.

Kate let out a cry, leaping forward. "Give that back!"

"Maybe this thing will give me a clue," Victoria giggled, flicking through the pages carelessly. "Blah blah blah, we're all going to hell, blah blah blah. Oops, guess not. You do realise this thing is full of shit, right?"

Tears streamed down Kate's face. "Please Victoria, give it back. My grandma gave it to me!"

"Give it back right fucking now, Victoria." Max snapped, her heart shattering as she saw how upset Kate was. Kate had told her only the other day that her grandma had passed away about a year ago. The two of them had been really close, and the Bible was the only thing her grandma had left her. No wonder Kate treasured it so much.

Victoria's eyes glinted with scorn. Beside her, Taylor and Courtney tittered. "Oh, your grandma gave it to you? Well why didn't you _say_ so? Here." Victoria moved forward, holding out the Bible. Kate reached for it but just as she was about to grab it, Victoria snapped her arm back. Max lurched forward as well, trying to get it, but Victoria's height worked to her advantage and she waggled it in the air tauntingly, just out of reach.

"I think Jesus wants to go for a spin, don't you?" She cried, letting out a gleeful laugh and then hurling the book as far as it would go.

" _NO!_ " Kate and Max both screamed, but it was too late. The Bible sailed past them, and Max closed her eyes, waiting for the inevitable _clunk_ as it hit the stone path. The impact would probably snap the book's delicate hardback spine; it would be ruined forever.

Yet, the _clunk_ never came. There were a few moments of silence, and then Max heard Kate let out a relieved sigh and Victoria say in a low voice "no _fucking_ way". Her eyes flew open and she spun around, her gaze registered a tall, skinny figure a few feet away.

It was Chloe.

She was holding the Bible in the air triumphantly, like a trophy, and she had a wide grin stretched across her face. She raised an eyebrow, bowed, and sauntered over to them, giving in an insouciant wiggle of her hips. "I believe this is yours." She announced casually, holding out the Bible to Kate with a warm smile.

Max couldn't believe it. Pride, respect, gratitude…she felt it all as she watched Kate take the book and clutch it to her chest, thanking Chloe gratefully. Chloe nodded at her, winked at Max sexily, and then turned to Victoria and smirked. "Next time, I'll shove that thing up your bony white ass." She said simply.

Victoria's let out a choked cough, evidently flustered. "I'd like to see you try."

Chloe gave her a long, amused look. "You know, if you wanna play catch, I'd recommend Nathan's balls. They're a _lot_ smaller than that Bible."

Max burst into instantaneous laughter, slapping her hand over her mouth. Beside her Kate snorted quietly, and even Taylor and Courtney had their lips pressed tightly together, evidently suppressing a giggle. Chloe's grin widened and she reached into her jacket pocket, lighting up a cigarette. She took a slow drag and continued. "Besides, he doesn't ever use them, does he? I'm sure he won't miss 'em."

Victoria's face flushed almost violet. If this were a cartoon, Max was sure she'd have clouds of steam billowing out of her ears. She looked Chloe up and down, shooting her the dirtiest glare imaginable. "Please. You look like some bad rip-off of Shane from _The L Word,_ muff-muncher."

Chloe grinned ear-to-ear and winked, not offended in the slightest. "I'll take that as a compliment, Icky Vicky."

Max snorted with laughter again, and Victoria scowled at her. "Whatever. You three are fucking tragic." She snarled, reaching forward and plucking the cigarette out of Chloe's fingers and placing it between her cherry-red lips unapologetically. "Oh by the way, _Chloe,_ there's a sale on at Hot Topic in case you want to stock up on some more discount ripped jeans. Goodbye, freaks. Taylor, Courtney?" And with a snap of her fingers she was gone, flouncing past Max with a hard shove. Taylor and Courtney looked at each other in bewilderment, then turned and shuffled past Kate, Chloe and Max- their eyes on Chloe the entire time. Max noted, with a flash of pride, that beneath the confusion and hostility in their eyes there was something else. Respect. Maybe, like her, they'd been longing to see someone give Victoria the smackdown she so richly deserved.

"T-thank you so much! Both of you." Kate sputtered when they were gone, her cheeks bright pink and eyes lit up with joy. Max smiled, reaching out and touching her arm in reassurance.

Chloe nodded at her, looking touched. "No biggie. You're Kate, right? Max has told me about you. You're clearly a cool chick, don't let those assholes bring you down."

Kate looked down shyly, fiddling with her cross necklace. "Thank you. Max has told me about you, too."

Chloe cocked an eyebrow at Max. "Oh yeah? All good things, I hope?"

Kate nodded. "Oh, most definitely." She shot Max a secret smile, and began moving away. "I'd better go- I'll see you later, Max. Thanks again, Chloe."

"See you, Kate." Chloe and Max said in unison. Kate ambled away, her head bowed and a smile on her lips.

Max turned back to Chloe, who was grinning like a Cheshire cat. "Chloe Price, to the rescue. Just call me your saviour." The blue-haired girl announced, winking.

Max giggled. "How will I ever thank you?"

"Oh, I can think of a few ways." Chloe purred, biting her lip and pulling Max into a hug. As they embraced, she slid her hands into the back pocket of Max's jeans and squeezed her butt. Max squealed, pulling away and looking around the campus to make sure no one had seen. Thankfully, the only person about was Samuel, who was busy sweeping a pile of leaves on the far side of the lawn with his back to them.

"What, we can't play grab-ass on campus?" Chloe whined, pouting.

"Let's save that for later, kay? Seriously Chlo, that was _amazing_. I mean, 'icky Vicky'? Did you see Victoria's _face?_ Hilarious."

"What can I say, I am a master of nicknames. Kind of disappointed she didn't give me one back, though. I personally think 'hoe-y Chloe' has a good ring to it, don't you?" Chloe said, waggling her eyebrows. "Dude, I fucking told you she was gay. Didn't you hear her? She watches _THE L WORD._ "

Max giggled, rolling her eyes and staring at the blue-haired girl for a moment. Kicking Victoria's ass, _again_ …it was the sexiest thing Chloe had ever done. And that was saying something. Suddenly, Max felt her heart quicken and a wave of something hot and animalistic burst in her pelvis. She blushed, suddenly worried Chloe could see exactly what she was thinking, and gave a nonchalant cough. "S-so, uh, what are you doing here anyways?"

"Well, I thought I'd come surprise you. Aren't I cute? Let's go to mine. It's Taco Tuesday at the Price-Madsen residence."

Max raised an eyebrow. "Chloe, it's Wednesday."

Chloe laughed. "Shit, really? Then I guess it's Waffle Wednesday! You in?"

Max smiled, reaching up and gently tugging a strand of Chloe's aquamarine hair. "Of course. Let's get out of here."

 **A/N:** SORRY FOR THE LATE UPDATE. I know, I know, I suck. And sorry for the lack of Pricefield fluff in this chapter- I had to spend some time on Jefferson though. You'll see why in future chapters;) Also, in regards to The L Word reference- Kate Moennig (who plays Shane) is seriously the only person I'd ever want to play Chloe in a movie version of LIS. Seriously. She is the hoooottest. Anyways, I hope you all enjoy this chapter. I have a really good plan for this series- I know it's 'just' a fanfic, but I want it to be a lot more than that. So get prepared for some drama, some tragedy, and a lot of cuuuute Pricefield moments. There is a lot to come. Thank you for all your lovely comments, please leave any feedback/message you want. I love hearing from you all- it's crazy to me that over 140 people subscribe to and read this story. You're the best.


	15. Chapter 15

"Max. Max, I'm bored. Maxieeeeeee. MAX."

Max, hunched over Chloe's desk, looked up at the sound of the blue-haired girl's petulant whine. This was the seventh time she'd interrupted Max, who was attempting to do her English homework. She. Was going. To kill her.

She swung towards Chloe, shooting her a faux-glare. "What?"

Chloe was on her bed, laid on her back reading an Anaïs Nin book with her long, gangly legs waving in the air and a cigarette dangling from her fingertips. As she swung her sockless feet back and forth, her sky-blue, chipped toenails caught the light and glinted. Max had been slightly surprised when Chloe had produced the book, even more so when the blue-haired girl had shown her the huge trunk of tattered novels beneath her bed. She was a reader, like her.

"Come lay with me, baby," Chloe requested, patting the space next to her without taking her eyes off the book. "I've missed you."

Max ducked her head, her heart fluttering at the word 'baby'. Chloe had never called her that before, at least not seriously. "It's been three days, Chlo."

"That's like a _lifetime_ , Caulfield. Please. _Pleeeease?"_

Max didn't need much more convincing. Rolling her eyes good-naturedly, she hopped off the desk chair and walked over to the bed, curling up beside Chloe who flicked the cigarette butt in her hand carelessly towards the ashtray on her desk- of course, it landed in it perfectly- and wrapped her right arm around Max. "You're such an attention hog, Chloe Price."

"You say that like it's a bad thing? Hey, give me your camera, let's take a picture."

Max smiled, reaching into her backpack beside the bed and grabbing her Polaroid. As she lifted it towards herself, the Halloween dance flyer Dana gave her earlier stuck to her fingers and then fluttered onto the bed.

Chloe reached for it, picking it up and examining it. "What's this?"

"Oh, just some stupid party at school. Dana gave it to me today."

Chloe raised an eyebrow. "Looks hella sick to me. You don't wanna go?"

" _No_ , it'll be lame," Max said, then paused for a moment. "And I don't have anyone to go with." She added shyly.

Chloe's eyebrow arched even higher, and she shot Max a coy smile. "You could take me?"

Max's breath hitched in her throat, and she coughed awkwardly. "You do realise we have to dress up, right?"

Chloe grinned, turning the flyer over in her hands. "You know, Rachel made me dress up for Halloween last year for some dumb party. She was Sandy and I was Danny Zuko. You know, from Grease?"

Max nodded, giggling at the thought of Chloe as a 1950s greaser. "I bet you looked hella good in leather trousers. Although I can't quite imagine you with a quiff."

Chloe laughed loudly, clearly re-living the memory in her mind. "It was pretty fucking hilarious. Hey, this year I could dress up as James Dean in _Rebel without a Cause!_ You know, cos I've got that whole bad boy thing goin' on?" she said, winking and waggling her eyebrows.

"More like rebel without a _clue_." Max teased, eliciting a shove from Chloe.

"Ssh, you. Or we could do a matching costume- even though it's hella cheesy. I'll be the Joker. You can be my Harley Quinn."

Max snorted. "Only if I get to call you puddin'."

"As long as you wear those sexy blue booty shorts," Chloe purred, referencing _Suicide Squad._

Max blushed and let out a choked laugh, looking down. She paused for a moment, thinking. Maybe she could take Chloe to the dance…as a date. And maybe…maybe she could tell people about them. Maybe it wouldn't be too bad. She'd endured a lot worse from the Vortex Club; maybe she could deal with them teasing her about this, too. Besides, she had Chloe- her knight in shining Dr Martens- to defend her now. And did it really matter that she was- kind of- dating a girl? Was it really anyone's business but hers?

Max looked up at Chloe, her eyes melting into Chloe's ocean-blue irises. She took a deep breath, her pulse quickening, and then spoke. "D-do you…do you actually want to come? You know, to the dance?"

Chloe stared back at her, her eyes wide and serious. "Do you want me to?"

"Y-yes. Um, only if you want to. I know it's just some lame high school party, it's totally fine if you don't-"

Chloe cut her off, pressing her lips against hers in a warm kiss that instantly sent tingles up Max's spine. "Yes, I wanna come," she whispered, her breath hot. "I wanna _come_ …" She began trailing her lips down Max's neck, pulling at the skin delicately with her teeth.

Max moved against Chloe, wrapping her arms around her back and pulling her in. Chloe moved on top of her, kissing her hard and slipping her tongue into her mouth, letting it slide against Max's roughly. The two kissed passionately, furiously, hands in each other's hair and bodies pressed against each other. Chloe bumped her slender hips against Max's, grinding against her. The friction of their jeans against each other caused Max to let out a soft moan, which Chloe echoed, kissing her deeper and harder with every movement.

With every kiss Max felt herself becoming more undone, the knot in her pelvis loosening and then tightening rapidly and a hot, fiery feeling pulsating between her thighs. She slid her hands underneath Chloe's tank top and felt her bare, soft skin, her fingertips grazing the cool metal of her navel ring. Chloe groaned slightly at the touch, her own fingers running over Max's collarbones, her top- pausing slightly at her chest- and then down to her exposed stomach. The blue-haired girl traced light circles on her bare skin, and then rested her hands on the waistband of her jeans.

Chloe pulled back slightly, breathing hard. Her and Max stared at each other for a moment, their eyes wild and pupils dilated. Chloe bit her lip and cocked her head slightly, as if silently asking a question. Max already knew what it was, and she knew the answer. She nodded, and Chloe let out a deep breath, sitting back. Then she pulled off her tank top in one fluid motion.

Max let out a small gasp. She had seen her in her bra before, at the pool, but not like this. Chloe's hair was mussed, her cheeks flushed light pink and a small, seductive smirk playing on her lips. Max's eyes travelled over her flat, porcelain stomach, over her black lace bra, over her bullet necklace hanging between her cleavage. She looked beautiful- more beautiful than ever, if that was even possible.

Max was trembling, her entire body alive and vibrating with that same hot, electric feeling she'd felt earlier. She reached up and Chloe didn't even hesitate for one moment before melting into her, her mouth against Max's and her hands all over her body. She paused for a moment, and then swiftly unbuttoned Max's jeans, yanking them down fiercely and squeezing her butt. Max bucked her hips and moaned, her heart thumping wildly in her ribcage. She ran her hands over Chloe's torso, tentatively slipping them underneath her bra strap and down to her chest. Chloe finger's grazed the edge of Max's underwear and snapped the elastic against her waist gently. Max mentally thanked herself for ditching the white cotton panties and instead wearing the red lace thong that she'd hidden in her underwear drawer for years, too afraid to wear, purely for the look on Chloe's face and the way she swallowed hard as she saw it, her fingertips travelling over the lace.

The two looked at each other, and Chloe grinned, biting her lip again in a way that sent bolts of electricity down Max's spine. She kissed her deeply, and then tugged at the underwear. She began pulling it down over Max's hips, and Max closed her eyes, waiting, waiting….

"Girls, I made y'all a snack. Do you want me to-"

Max screamed, wrenching herself away from Chloe and pulling up her jeans frantically, her heart jackhammering against her chest. Joyce stood at the door, her mouth open and her eyes as wide as saucers, a plate of cookies in her hand.

"Mom, what the _fuck?!"_ Chloe yelled, yanking her tank top over her head.

There were a few excruciatingly painful moments of silence, and then…Joyce started laughing. Like, hysterically laughing. She placed the cookies on the floor and bent down slightly, clutching her stomach and almost hooting with laughter. Max and Chloe exchanged an equally bewildered look, and then looked back at Joyce, who was still. Freaking. _LAUGHING._

After a minute or so she began to regain her composure, straightening up and wiping tears from her eyes. She looked at the two girls and sighed, shaking her head and chuckling some more. "Well, I think it's safe to say you two girls are more than just pals!" And then she was off again, almost bent double.

"Mom, are you having a fucking seizure or something? What's _wrong_ with you?!" Chloe snapped, her face clouded with irritation.

"J-Joyce, I'm s-so sorry. We weren't, uh…we were just studying." Max stammered, her entire face beet red- even though it was obvious that they hadn't been doing that _at all._

"Oh yeah, what subject? Biology?" Joyce chuckled, her hand over her mouth.

"You're fucking hilarious Mom. A real stand-up comedian." Chloe hissed, rolling her eyes, although a small grin was tugging at the corners of her mouth. How could she find this funny too? Max was _mortified._

"Oh, don't worry about it Max." Joyce said, returning to normality. "I've walked in on Chloe doing a lot worse, trust me. Next time, though, you girls might wanna think about locking the damn door."

Max ran her shaking hands through her hair, standing up woozily. _'Oh my fucking god,'_ she thought to herself. ' _How. EMBARASSING.'_

Joyce picked up the plate of cookies, gesturing to Max. "Well, that was an event we'll always remember. Max, dear, come and help me with the dinner. Not you, Chloe. You need to take a shower- you stink of cigarettes."

"Max doesn't mind." Chloe retorted, shooting Max a secretive wink.

Joyce raised an eyebrow. "Well I do. And how many times have I told you to open the damn window when you're smoking? I don't even like you doing it in the first place."

Chloe rolled her eyes again, groaning. "God fine, I'm going." She muttered, sticking her tongue out at Joyce and waltzing out of the room into the bathroom across the hall. Joyce walked out too, and Max tentatively followed her down the stairs, a million and one questions zipping through her mind. She felt hot and flushed, like she had a fever. What…what had just happened between her and Chloe? The way they'd touched, the way they'd kissed…they'd never done that sort of thing before. It had never been that intense, that intimate. The image of Chloe in her bra flashed in her mind and Max felt that rush of heat in her pelvis so strongly that she had to grip onto the bannister to keep from falling. What would have happened if Joyce hadn't walked in? Would they...would they have had _sex?!_

Max followed Joyce into the kitchen, who handed her a whisk and unloaded a bag of groceries onto the kitchen counter. "Pass me that glass bowl, would you honey?" Joyce asked, flipping open a carton of eggs. "You're staying for dinner, aren't you?"

"Uh, sure. Waffle Wednesday, right?" Max reached for the bowl, her eyes resting on a photo tacked up on the wall. It was a picture of David, Joyce and Chloe; Chloe looked a little younger, and she had auburn hair cut in the same style it was now, yet with a blue streak down the front. She was stood in the background of the photo, arms crossed and scowling into the camera lens. She looked completely miserable. Max couldn't imagine how unbearable it must be to live with David- to have him take the place of her father, who seemed like a really great guy. Chloe had told her a little about him; his name was William, him and Joyce had been high school sweethearts, and he'd been incredibly close with Chloe. He even had a love for photography, like Max, and used to take pictures with a Polaroid camera similar to hers.

Joyce chuckled, cracking an egg into the bowl. "That's right. I'll make extra tonight. You girls probably worked up quite the appetite _._ "

Max blushed scarlet, cringing from head to toe. She couldn't _believe_ Joyce had walked in on them. "U-uh, yeah." She muttered, fiddling with the whisk awkwardly.

Joyce looked at her as she cracked another egg, her eyes suddenly sincere. "So, you two are getting pretty serious then, huh?"

Max's blush deepened. "I-I don't really know. I guess so. We're not, like, official or anything. I don't really know what Chloe thinks about the whole situation."

Joyce paused, and then turned to Max, looking her straight in the eyes. "You know, Chloe came out to me when she was only fifteen. I must say, I did always suspect something. Especially when she used to have crushes on the Disney princesses instead of the princes."

Max laughed. Joyce chuckled too, absentmindedly wiping away an egg yolk smear on the countertop with a dishcloth. "I think meeting Rachel helped her. It definitely gave _me_ some piece of mind- you should've seen the awful boys Chloe used to drag home. Rachel was Chloe's first love, yes, but she was also her best friend. She got her out of a really tough time."

The words 'first love' felt like a knife to the abdomen. Max bit down on her lip hard, gripping the metal whisk. There was that ghostly presence of Rachel again, always lurking omnisciently in the background. "Yeah. Rachel sounds amazing. No wonder Chloe is obsessed with finding her."

Joyce raised an eyebrow, giving Max a coy smile that reminded her a little bit of Chloe. "Max Caulfield, do I detect a little bit of jealousy?"

Max looked away, caught out. "N-no, of course not. I mean…maybe a little."

Joyce touched Max's shoulder, her eyes full of motherly warmth. "Don't be. Rachel was a sweet girl…but she was also very troubled. Chloe was like a little puppy dog around her, always wanting to impress her and get her approval, and I feel like Rachel could never fully reciprocate that love and adoration. She was never fully committed. She loved Chloe of course, but not in the same way. I didn't like that- I didn't want to see anybody mess my baby girl around."

Max nodded understandingly. She thought of the letter she'd found in the junkyard, and Rachel's bracelet around Frank's wrist. Poor Chloe. There was nothing more painful than unrequited love, or somebody deciding that they loved someone more than you. She just didn't understand. How could Rachel _not_ fall hopelessly in love with Chloe? Couldn't she see how amazing she was?

"What with her father's death..." Joyce paused then, wincing slightly. "And now Rachel gone too, well, all I can say is I'm glad Chloe has you in her life. Even if you've not known each other very long. She needs someone like you, Max. You're good for her, perhaps in a way that Rachel never was."

Max's heart swelled at Joyce's praise, and she smiled. "Thank you, Joyce. That-that means a lot. I just hope Chloe feels the same way. Sometimes…sometimes it feels like I can never live up to Rachel."

"You should hear the way Chloe talks about you! It's always Max this, Max that. Trust me, you don't have _anything_ to worry about, Max." Joyce reassured her, gently stirring some flour into the bowl.

A spark of adrenaline shot through Max. Maybe it was time to stop taking things slow with Chloe. She wanted to be with her properly, she wanted it _so badly._ The prospect terrified her…but maybe she should ask her out?

The sound of a door being slammed was heard upstairs, then the sudden thudding of Chloe's stompy black boots against the stairs as she careened down them. Like a 'bull in a china shop', Max's dad would say. Although, it sounded more like an avalanche. The blue-haired girl sauntered into the kitchen, grabbing a carton of frosting out of the fridge and sticking her finger straight into it, earning a scolding chastise from Joyce about germs and bad manners. Chloe ignored her, instead staring straight at Max with playful eyes as she licked her finger clean ever so slowly, sliding it out of her mouth with a loud _pop_ sound. Max looked away, feeling the same woozy, breathless feeling as earlier.

"Mom, Max and I are going out. Catch ya later!" Chloe announced matter-of-factly, grabbing Max's hand and dragging her out of the kitchen.

"Chloe, what about your dinner?" Joyce cried incredulously.

"We'll be back in half an hour, okay? Chill!" Chloe turned to Max, her entire face lit up in excitement. She tugged her beanie on over her slightly damp hair with her free hand, and then yanked open the front door. "C'mon nerd girl, we're going to the lookout!"

 **Fifteen minutes later,** Chloe pulled up at the beach and switched off the truck engine. The bay was completely deserted, aside from a few squawking seagulls fighting over a discarded takeaway carton and a battered, sketchy-looking RV further down the shore. In the distance, the sun was setting on the horizon, casting burnt orange rays onto the surface of the ocean. Chloe had timed it perfectly; they'd made it just in time for the sunset. Max couldn't wait to get some sweet photos.

The two paused for a moment, looking at each other silently. The entire journey they hadn't spoken once, the events of earlier lingering in the air. Max chewed her lip anxiously, trying to formulate what she was trying to say in her head. She was surprised Chloe hadn't cracked a joke yet, but the other girl looked almost as nervous as her.

Finally, Max broke the silence. "So, uh…do you …do you wanna talk about what just happened? Or _nearly_ happened, I guess."

Chloe tilted her head, her lips stretching into a typical cocky smirk. "What, before my mom interrupted? Talk about poor timing."

Max blushed, remembering the way Chloe had caressed her skin earlier, and the sound of her moans. "Yeah. We should, uh…we should talk about it."

Chloe nodded, momentarily looking away. Then she looked back, her eyes glowing mischievously. "Or we could not talk at all?" She said slowly, her voice low and husky. A beat passed. Max felt that familiar feeling pool in her gut, and she took a long, deep breath. And then she crashed her lips onto Chloe's.

Chloe reciprocated with equal force, grabbing Max's thighs and pulling her into her lap. They kissed desperately, like they were running out of time, and then slowly, because they had all the time they wanted. Max pulled back, raking her hands through Chloe's hair. She paused for a moment. Should they stop? Should they go to the lookout, and talk this thing out?

Then Chloe slipped her hands up Max's tank top, squeezing her breasts hard.

And then Max was yanking her jacket off, and Chloe's too, and then tugging at the blue-haired girl's tank top impatiently, giggling and moaning and gasping for breath all at once. She wanted this, the feel of skin against skin, of Chloe's tongue against hers, of their bodies sweaty and pressed against each other. She had never wanted anything more in her life.

Chloe moved to pull her tank top off, and then her eyes seemed to catch sight of something in the truck window. She screamed loudly, pushing Max off her and covering herself with her jacket. "WHAT THE FUCK?!" She yelled, her eyes flashing with fear and anger. Max landed on the passenger seat with a _thud_ and instantly whipped her head around to see what Chloe was looking at. When she saw who it was, her entire body convulsed in shock.

 _Frank._

He was stood at the window looking in, a taunting, sinister smirk on his lips. He looked at Chloe, then at Max, and let out a sharp laugh that sounded more like a bark. "I knew you two were going at it. I fucking knew it. Dykes." He sneered, his voice just audible through the thick glass of the window. He shot them a dirty look and then turned away, walking in the direction of the RV.

"Chloe, don't-" Max tried to say, but it was too late. Chloe kicked the door of the truck open with such force that it was surprising it didn't fall off its hinges. She swung herself out, her face a mask of blind rage. Max opened her own door and ran after her, her entire body shaking. ' _Oh God. Oh god, oh God, oh God.'_ She thought to herself as she struggled to catch up with Chloe's striding figure.

"What the _fuck_ are you doing Frank?" Chloe yelled, and Frank stopped and turned around. "Are you fucking stalking me now, is that it? Are we back to that?"

"Stalking you? I fucking _live_ here, bulldog. Didn't you recognise the RV?" Frank hissed, gesturing behind him. Oh. So that old thing belonged to him. Figured.

Chloe rolled her eyes, her mouth a hard, taut line. "Don't fucking call me that."

"Then again, I guess you had other things on your mind," Frank continued, his smirk widening. He winked at Max, and she shuddered, looking away.

Chloe's hands curled into fists, and she took a step towards Frank. "Fuck you. Why were you wearing Rachel's bracelet the last time I saw you? _Tell_ me, Frank, or I swear to God I'll-"

"You'll what?" Frank interrupted her, cocking his head and smiling patronisingly, as if he were talking to a very small child. "Don't make me laugh, Chloe. You won't do shit- you're all smoke, no flame."

"Tell her." Max snapped. Chloe's head whipped toward her in surprise, and she gave her a grateful half-smile.

Frank chuckled darkly, rubbing his scraggly beard. "Your girlfriend's grown a pair since I last saw her, bulldog. Jesus, I already told you why I was wearing it. Rachel gave it to me, as a gift."

Chloe shook her head vehemently. "No. No, I don't believe you. You were her _dealer,_ Frank. Don't flatter yourself."

Frank shook his head, letting out a weary sigh. Max noticed the dark circles underneath his eyes, and the pale, sallow colour of his skin. He looked exhausted. "Chloe, you need to go home." He said, almost gently this time.

This angered Chloe even more. "TELL. ME. WHY."

"Because we were _fucking_ , okay?! That's why." Frank yelled suddenly, a vein popping out in his neck.

There was an awful, prolonged silence. Max's heart sunk to her feet, all of her suspicions confirmed. So Frank and Rachel _did_ have a thing. But was he the guy in the letter? She glanced at Chloe, who was stood stunned into silence. Her top lip was quivering, and her arms hung loosely by her sides. She looked as if she'd been punched in the face.

"N-no." she whispered shakily, shaking her head. " _No._ She _never_ would have touched you."

Frank held his hand up to his head, rubbing his temple. "You clearly didn't know Rachel as well as you think you did. We had a thing, okay? She wanted it- _she_ pursued _me._ And I- I fucking fell for her, like every other dumb sucker in Arcadia Bay."

Chloe let out an angry cry, kicking the sand at her feet. Max noticed tears were rolling down her cheeks, and she let out a choked sob herself, moving towards her. "No. You're fucking _lying!_ She never wanted you- she wanted _me._ She loved _me,_ and I loved her. I know that. You don't know _anything_ about her!" Chloe screeched, her eyes blazing.

"Yeah, she loved you like a _sister,_ Chloe. Nothing more."

"Please, Chloe, let's go, let's just-" Max begged, moving to grab Chloe's hand, but Chloe wrenched away. She flew towards Frank, her face purple and her body shaking with rage.

"Oh yeah? How many people _fuck_ their sister?!"

Chloe's words rang out like a siren, slicing through the air. Max froze, her heart seizing in her chest. She staggered back slightly, her hand flying to her mouth. Everything hurt- her limbs, her chest, her throat…they all suddenly felt on the verge of collapse. She knew Rachel and Chloe had dated. She knew they'd been incredibly close. And she'd known, deep down, that they'd had sex. But what she didn't know was why hearing Chloe say it aloud hurt so much, or her heart suddenly felt heavy and enflamed, like it was about to burst.

Frank stared at Chloe for a moment, his face so blank and cold that it was almost scary, and then reached into his jean pocket and produced a tattered leather wallet. He flipped it open and pulled out a small photo, shoving it in Chloe's face. Chloe snatched it, giving Frank a confused glare before examining the photo. Max moved towards her, peering over her shoulder.

Oh God.

It was a picture of Frank and Rachel cuddling together with a cute brown Rottweiler, its tongue lolling out if its mouth happily. Frank grinned at the camera- it was odd to see him sporting a genuine smile and not a nasty smirk- whilst Rachel had her lips pressed to his cheek, her hand resting on his chest comfortably, like she already knew how it felt. She already knew how it felt. They looked happy and intimate, their faces youthful and glowing. Like a couple.

Chloe dropped the picture suddenly as if it were on fire. Her eyes were the darkest blue Max had even seen them- almost black- and her face was streaked with tears. She looked at Frank, then at Max, and then turned and sprinted towards her truck. Max ran after her, glancing back at Frank fleetingly. He had picked the photo up and was staring at it, his head hung. Was that a tear Max saw escaping his own eye?

Chloe wrenched open the door to the truck, jumping in and instantly switching on the ignition. Max clambered in the passenger side just in time, thrown back in her seat with the sudden jerky movement of the car as Chloe slammed into first gear and hurtled out of the beach. She stomped her foot hard on the gas pedal and turned onto the main road, her hands gripping the steering wheel so hard they turned scarlet at the fingertips.

"C-Chloe, are you oka-"

"No I'm _NOT_ fucking okay Max! Rachel _lied._ That bitch was banging Frank all along- why didn't she say anything?!" Chloe yelled, her voice cracking in a heart-breaking way.

"I-I don't know, I- I can't explain it, Chloe. Maybe she didn't want to tell you because she was afraid of upsetting you, or…" Max trailed off. It was pointless. Who knew why Rachel had done what she did?

"Well she wasn't much of a friend, huh? Just another person who shits all over me. Why does _everybody_ in my life let me down?! My dad gets killed, my mom gloms onto step-fucker, now Rachel fucking betrays me."

Max frowned. She understood Chloe's anger, and she felt for her, but that was a little unfair. "Chloe, Rachel is _missing_. I'm sure she loved you- she did- but as you said, you weren't… _exclusive_ or anything. I know it hurts, but I-"

Chloe cut her off, her tone saturated with venom. "No, you don't _fucking_ know, Max. You have no idea what's it's like to be me. I can't trust _anybody_!"

Max felt like she'd been slapped. Chloe had _never_ spoken to her like that before. "Chloe, I'm trying to help you. I _care_ about you!"

"Do you? Do you _really?_ Or are you just another fucking liar like Rachel? I can't believe her. Everybody pretends to care, until they don't."

Max was shaking, tears rolling down her cheeks in fat, hot droplets. How had everything gone so horribly, horribly wrong? " _C-Chloe._ That's _not_ true."

Chloe made a sharp right turn. Max looked out of the window; they were in the Blackwell parking lot. What was happening? What about Joyce, and dinner at Chloe's house? The plan to ask Chloe out withered in Max's mind, wilting like a decaying rose. This couldn't just be it. They had to _talk_ about stuff. They had to sort this out. They had to.

Max tried to touch Chloe's arm, but the blue-haired girl wrenched away, her eyes dark. "Get out, Max." She muttered, so low and emotionless that Max wasn't sure she'd heard her correctly.

"W-what?"

" _Get. Out. Of my car."_ Chloe repeated loudly, looking Max dead in the eye.

Max shrank back against the seat, her heart pounding in her ears. Her hands trembling furiously, she unbuckled her seat belt and opened the car door, sliding out of the seat. She turned back towards Chloe, looking at her pleadingly. "Chloe, what did I _do_?" she whispered, her throat so raw that it hurt to talk. "Please, can we just talk-"

"Just leave me alone, Max." Chloe spat, reaching over and slamming the passenger door shut in Max's face. A millisecond later, the truck sputtered to life and peeled out of the parking lot, leaving a cloud of exhaust in its wake.

Max stood there for a second, frozen still in shock. This- this couldn't be happening. This _wasn't_ happening. No, this was all just a big misunderstanding. In a minute, Chloe would pull back into the parking lot and tell Max to get back into her truck. She'd apologise, they'd hug, and then they'd go to the lookout and talk. Dealing with the idea of Rachel and Frank would be hard for Chloe, but Max would help her get through it. She would be there for her. It would all be okay.

But then a minute passed. Two. Three. Ten minutes later, Max was still stood there, the cold autumnal wind whipping against her cheek sharply. Not that she could feel it- a strange sense of numbness had washed over her, from her toes to her ears. Suddenly thunder cracked in the sky, and Max looked up to see the grey clouds that had been lurking on the horizon earlier now swelling over her, dark and fat and menacing. There were a few seconds of silence, and then the sky opened and the rain began to fall.

 **A:N** I AM SO SORRY. I BROKE PRICEFIELD BEFORE THEY EVEN BEGAN. Oops ;) don't worry, there is waaaaay more to come. This story isn't even halfway done with. Pls don't hate meeee. Also, I've decided to set the story in present day 2016. It's easier for me to reference pop culture and stuff (aka the Suicide Squad reference in this chapter). I hope you guys enjoy, let me know what you think in the comments! (be gentle on me tho pls)


	16. Chapter 16

"and then she was like 'Dana, you just don't understand'. Like, is she _kidding_ me? After all that crap I went through with Logan, _I_ \- Max? Are you okay?"

Dana's babbling voice blurred into the background as Max leapt up, her eyes on the blue-haired girl sifting through a rack of dresses a few feet away. _Chloe._

Max reached forward, hand outstretched, her heart racing. But then the girl turned around, and she realised that it _wasn't_ Chloe at all. This girl was a little shorter and plumper, and her hair was shaved on one side. Where Chloe's vivid tattoo glowed on her upper arm, this girl's skin was completely bare. In fact, she looked _nothing_ like Chloe. Max sank back down onto an overstuffed pink futon, her heart sinking in her chest.

It was now Saturday; three days since that awful day with Chloe. Three days since she'd heard from her. She'd checked her phone at least one hundred times since then, praying for a text or a call or _anything_. But so far…nothing. Complete radio silence. Yet, there was still a spark of hope in Max's chest; it glowed small and bright, like a tiny lantern, signifying the possibility that Chloe would just _come back._ That Max would look at her phone, or turn around a corner, or glance out of her dorm window…and there Chloe would be. She couldn't just cut herself out of Max's life- it wasn't _fair._ Max hadn't done anything wrong. She had to come back. She just had to.

But there was also something stronger than hope. More powerful. Pain. It oozed like a thick, black, gelatinous liquid into the cracks in Max's body, coating her lungs like tar so she couldn't breathe and filling up her throat, choking her. Every time she forced a fake smile onto her face, it slipped through the space in between her teeth and covered her gums like a horrible salty glaze. Every morning when she woke up it was there, rotting away in her gut, smothering the fluttering butterflies that had blossomed there every day since she had met Chloe. Every time she saw the colour blue. Every time she smelt cigarette smoke. Every night when she was alone in her bed with Chloe's jacket clutched to her side.

"Max?" Dana repeated softly, and Max's head jerked up guiltily. She'd been trying so hard to not let the absence of Chloe drag her into a big, black, miserable hole- hence why she'd agreed to go costume shopping with Dana for the stupid fucking Halloween dance. But as soon as they'd arrived at the costume shop, the nasty black liquid had returned, spilling out of her mouth and onto the varnished floors. It was just another reminder of Chloe; they were supposed to be going to the Halloween dance _together._ Max was finally going to tell people that they were a couple. Harley Quinn and the Joker. Chloe would have looked _so_ good as him.

Tears pricked the corners of Max's eyes, and she hastily looked away. She hated anyone seeing her cry. "U-uh sorry, yeah?"

Dana stared at her, a concerned furrow between her brows. "I asked you if you were okay. Are you?"

It took every single facial muscle to force a smile, but Max did it. "Oh, yeah sure. I'm fine- just a little stressed about homework. That outfit looks really good on you, Dana."

Dana's eyes flicked down towards the uber-sexy latex Catwoman costume she had on, and then back to Max with a raised eyebrow. Uh-oh. Max knew what that eyebrow raise meant. She clearly wasn't buying the attempt to change the conversation. "Max. You've been acting like a zombie since we got here- and don't even try and tell me it's to get in character for Halloween, because you've been like this all week. What's going on?"

Max ran a hand through her greasy hair- she hadn't even bothered to wash it this morning, and had seriously regretted it as soon as she saw Dana with her glossy, apple-scented locks- and shook her head vehemently. "Nothing, I promise! I'm fine."

Dana paused for a moment, and then her eyes suddenly lit up with understanding- Max could practically see the metaphorical lightbulb glowing above her head like a halo. "I know! It's Warren, isn't it? Something's happened between the two of you- I barely see you guys hanging out together anymore. Max, what went wrong? You can tell me- I'm your friend."

The irrepressible urge to groan sliced through Max's body. _Fuck_. Not this again. "Dana. There is _nothing_ going on between me and Warren."

"Oh no! What happened?" Dana instantly flew to Max's side, her eyes as wide as dinner plates and full of sorrow. Oh, God _._ She had clearly mistaken 'nothing going on' as Max and Warren breaking up.

"Dana, I appreciate your concern, but me and Warren aren't-"

"Is it that awful Brooke girl?" Dana interrupted, her eyes narrowing. "She's _always_ all over Warren. It sucks having to share a boy- trust me, when I dated Logan I had to share him with the entire freaking cheerleading squad. You just feel like you're never enough for them. There's always some girl lurking in the background. But you're _way_ prettier than Brooke, Max, don't worry."

Max snorted, opening her mouth to tell Dana just how wrong she was…but then her words sunk in. 'Never enough'. 'Some girl lurking in the background.' Rachel immediately flashed into her mind. Even though Dana was referencing Max's hypothetical problems with Warren…those problems didn't seem so imaginary all of a sudden. In fact, they hit a little too close to home.

"Well…" Max began slowly, wondering how she could phrase this without giving too much away. It wasn't like she could talk about Chloe to Dana…but maybe she didn't have to use her name. "That's part of it, I guess. She's just…she's exactly like Warren. She's so smart, and witty, and Chl- uh, Warren, talks about her all the time. No matter how close him and I are, she's always… _there_."

Dana nodded understandingly, reaching out and touching Max's jean-clad knee gently. "Did you and Warren have an argument?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I guess so." Max sighed shakily, the memory of that day forming a pit in her stomach. She thought of the look on Chloe's face when she had tried to talk to her, and the venom in her voice when she'd told her to get out of her car. "He found out something, and it really hurt him. But instead of turning to me for help, he just…shut me out. He acted like _I_ was the one who hurt him, but I didn't do anything _wrong._ "

"You just wanted to be there for him, right?"

"Y-yeah. I really care about him. I've-I've never felt like this about anyone before." Max's voice cracked loudly, and before she could stop herself, tears were pouring down her cheeks in a steady, unrelenting stream. She pressed her lips together, her nose stinging. This was the first time she'd let herself cry since her and Chloe had stopped talking; as embarrassing as it was to break down in front of Dana, (even though she'd done the exact same to Max a couple of weeks ago in the coffee shop) Max couldn't help it. Not having Chloe in her life- even if it had only been three days- was horrible. She felt so empty and lost- she didn't even have _Warren_ to talk to anymore. Not that she could tell him about Chloe- "hey Warren, I know you're really into me and super pissed that I ditched you, so why not inform you of the fact that a) I'm not interested in you and b) I'm actually interested in a _girl…_ who I ditched you for". Yeah, that would go down _so_ well.

"Oh, Max." Dana whispered, reaching over and pulling her into a hug. Max tensed for a moment, but then relaxed into the embrace. Dana smelt like apples and fabric softener and Victoria's Secret body lotion- quite different from Chloe's exotic vanilla-tobacco-y scent, but nice all the same. "I'm so sorry. Have you tried talking to him?"

Max sniffed, wiping her snotty nose. Gross. "A little. I've called him and texted a couple of times, but he never answers. He doesn't want to talk to me." She'd even considered going to Chloe's house, or swinging by the diner and talking to Joyce, but the prospect of face-to-face confrontation terrified her. Plus, if she spoke to Joyce she'd have to explain the reason why her and Chloe had fallen out. She seemed to be a relatively cool mom, but telling her Chloe was pissed because her best friend/lesbian lover had been screwing her drug dealer was not something Max ever wanted to attempt doing.

Dana frowned. "Why, though? It doesn't make sense. You're only trying to be a good friend."

Max shrugged, defeated. "I really don't know." And she didn't. She understood that Chloe was hurt about Rachel and Frank- who wouldn't be? - but Max had given her no reason to be mad at her, too. She remembered Chloe's words in the car; 'everybody pretends to care, until they don't.' But Max _wasn't_ pretending- surely Chloe knew that. She thought they had a connection…and she thought Chloe knew that, too. Maybe not.

"I guess sometimes people just do shitty things like that. You just have to deserve if it's worth fighting for or not, Max." Dana said, offering her a small smile. "I wasn't really over that jock asshole Logan when I met Trevor, and he knew that. But as much as it hurt him, he stuck around and fought for me. And it worked- I fell in love with him. You're super pretty Max, and you're crazy talented at photography. I wish _I_ had your gift. I'm sure Warren cares about you too- any guy would be stupid not too. Okay?"

Max blushed, her salty, tear-stained lips stretching into an embarrassed smile. Dana was _so_ sweet. "Thank you, Dana. Seriously. That means so much to me, I can't even-"

Dana held a finger up to her lips. "You don't need to thank me, Max. It's the truth. Now c'mon, let's find you a costume for the dance."

Max blinked. Dana was nice and all, but there was no way she could convince her to go to the dance. "U-uh, I'm not…I'm not going, Dana."

" _What?!_ " Dana looked at Max as if she'd just announced she was having a sex change and was changing her name to Maximillian. "What do you mean you're _not going?_ "

"W-well, I was meant to be going with Chl- _Warren_ , and now…" Max trailed off, her voice catching in her throat. Tears stung her eyelids again, threatening to escape. The Halloween dance was just one big reminder of everything that had gone wrong with Chloe. There was no way she could go.

Dana grabbed Max's hand, her face incredulous. "Max, are you serious? There's no way you're blowing off the party of the century just because some guy is being a douchebag. You're a strong, independent woman, and you're coming to this dance!"

"I can't go _alone._ Victoria would have a field day."

Dana rolled her eyes. "Who cares what she thinks? _Nathan Prescott_ is her date- she might as well go alone herself. Look, Max, we're gonna get you a cute costume, and we're gonna get dressed up, and we're gonna go to that party and dance our bony white asses off. Okay? Hey, maybe you could even convince Kate to come! OMG, we could do a group costume!"

Max giggled. Dana seriously did not give up easy. Maybe she could go, for an hour. If it was lame, she'd leave. "Okay. I'll go." She muttered, and Dana let out a high-pitched squeal that caused several customers in the store to actually wince. "But no group costume. You look hella gorgeous in that Catwoman suit anyway."

Dana laughed and stood up, dragging Max over to the rack of assorted Halloween costumes. Max began sifting through the various generic witch and vampire ensembles, trying not to think about the fact that she'd just used the world 'hella'. Chloe was _everywhere_ , even in her freaking vocabulary.

Suddenly Dana let out another loud squeal, pointing to something behind Max. Max swivelled around, her eyes focusing on the display of Halloween costumes at the front of the costume shop. One mannequin stood out from the rest; it was decked in blue and red booty shorts, a ripped tee that said 'Daddy's Little Monster', fishnet tights and a blonde wig.

Harley Quinn.

"Max, you _have_ to try that on! How did I know not think of Harley Q for you before?" Dana cried, clapping her hands in excitement and darting over to the display.

Max followed her over, her heart in her throat. _No._ She couldn't wear that. She couldn't. "Dana, I really don't-"

"Can we get one of these please? Size small?" Dana gestured at the costume, calling to a depressed-looking male shop assistant who clearly hadn't got the memo that 'scene' was over.

He rolled his Kohl-lined eyes and disappeared into the back of the store, returning a few moments later with the clothes. "Here." He said, placing them into Max's hands. "We've sold like eighty of these. Have fun looking like every other girl in Oregon."

As he wandered off, Max turned to Dana and immediately shoved the outfit at her. "Dana, I can't wear this, okay? I'll just go as a zombie cheerleader or something. I wouldn't even need to get a costume, I could just borrow your cheerleading outfit."

Dana put her hands on her hips firmly. "Max. Zombie cheerleader is so unoriginal."

"Oh, because Harley Quinn is so unique? You heard what that guy said- everyone's going to be dressed as her."

"Yeah, but no one's gonna look as hot as you! Just go try it on, for fun. Please?" Dana widened her eyes so they looked like a puppy-dog, pressing her hands together and motioning praying. " _Pleaaaase?_ "

Max sighed. Okay, maybe she could try it on. Just for fun, of course. "Fine."

 **Five minutes later** , Max stepped out of the fitting rooms tugging at the shorts, which had already ridden halfway up her butt. She moved self-consciously towards the mirror, where Dana was sat on a futon beaming ear-to-ear and bouncing up and down.

"Max, you look so cute! Get over here and look at yourself!" She instructed, beckoning her over frantically.

As soon as Max reached the mirror, she gasped. Her stomach tightened, and it felt like all the wind had been knocked out of her. She stared at her reflection, straight into the eyes of a girl who resembled her, but wasn't her at the same time. The girl who blinked back at her looked cool and confident; the shorts hung low on her hips, accentuating her small waist, and the peroxide-blonde wig with its blue and pink streaks highlighted her fair skin and brought out her grey-blue eyes. Max was sure she'd look completely ridiculous in the costume; Harley Quinn was meant to be sexy, confident, crazy- the complete opposite of boring old Max. But instead she looked…kinda _good_.

"That really suits you." A teenage girl with curly blonde hair nodded at Max as she passed by, giving her an approving smile.

Max blushed and smiled back, thanking her. She looked at herself again and took a deep breath. Maybe she should go to the Halloween dance wearing this. She felt confident in it, and pretty. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad going solo- Kate wouldn't have a date either. And Dana had promised her a dance. Who cared if Victoria and the rest of the Vortex Club laughed at her for going alone?

"Okay. I think I've found my costume." Max turned to Dana and gave her a small smile, adjusting the pigtailed wig slightly.

Dana leapt up, engulfing Max in another hug. "Yay! I'm so pumped! Okay, let's go get changed and grab a coffee. I need some serious caffeine after all those outfit changes."

Max grinned- like the girl needed any _more_ stimulation- letting Dana take her by the hand and lead her back across the store. Just before she ducked through the red velvet curtain that sectioned off the fitting rooms, she glanced back at herself in the mirror. The knot in her stomach twisted unexpectedly, and her heart clenched, a sudden burst of sadness shooting through her. As cute as the costume was, Max couldn't help but wish Chloe was stood beside her, decked head to toe in a ridiculous purple suit, her face painted completely white except for the trademark crimson red lips.

Because what was Harley Quinn without her Joker?

 **A:N/** I AM SO SORRY FOR THE HELLA LATE CHAPTER. My computer had a spaz and and was essentially broken for about a week, so I couldn't work on the story at all. But it's all sorted now, and I have the next chapter half written already. The thing is, it looks like it's going to be quite long. Would you guys prefer it if I separated it into two, or do you prefer long chapters? It's up to you- leave me a comment and let me know :) hope you guys enjoy! It's killing me having poor Max all sad and heartbroken over Chloe:( (even though I'm writing it, haha). Don't worry though, blue skies ahead.


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N:** I'M SO SORRY THIS IS SO LATE. I've been re-writing parts, adding parts, and basically trying to get it as good as possible. And yes- it is a long chapter, so grab a snack and a drink...and enjoy! :)

"Kate, I really don't wanna do this."

There was a soft sigh from the other end of the phone. "Max. We've gone over this a thousand times. It's going to be fine. I promise."

Max stomped her foot petulantly against the stone pavement, accidentally scuffing her shiny white sneakers in the process. Shit. "He's not going to care what I have to say."

"Yes, he will! All you need to do is apologise." Kate replied. There was some shuffling in the background- the turning of pages, maybe. Max could just imagine Kate flipping through her Bible at that very moment, trying to find a passage that would give her some encouragement. However, it was unlikely that Jesus had had to grovel for forgiveness from a boy who he'd ditched for a tall, beautiful, blue-haired lesbian.

"Don't you think I've suffered enough humiliation these past few weeks?" Max whined. It was now Saturday morning- the day of the dreaded Halloween dance- and she was stood outside the boys' dormitory, freezing to death and delaying going in and apologising to Warren. He was still ignoring her, even though every so often Max would catch him staring at her wistfully in Chemistry Lab or hanging around outside the girls' dormitory with Brooke, clearly waiting for her to appear. She knew that something had to change; they couldn't go on ignoring each other forever. Especially now that Chloe was…gone.

A hot flash of pain shot through Max's gut and she bit her lip hard, tasting blood. Even the thought of Chloe made her ache all over. It had been well over a week since they'd last spoken, and with every day that passed the hole in Max's heart grew larger and larger. Most mornings she didn't even want to get out of bed, and when she did she spent the whole day walking around like a zombie. She was zoning out in class more than ever- the other day, Mr Jefferson even threatened to give her a detention- and the stack of homework on her desk was now at a mountainous level.

That's why she needed to make things right with Warren. She needed to tell him about Chloe.

"Max, I know you can do this. I believe in you. I'm hanging up now, okay?" Kate said gently, and her soft, kind voice reassured Max ever so slightly. Kate had been a real rock to her these past few weeks; she'd forced her to get out of bed and face the day, helped her with her Geometry homework, and had even offered to go to Chloe's house and try to talk to her. Max had refused, though- she didn't want Kate involved in their stupid drama.

"Okay. Thank you for this, Kate- I owe you big time."

"No problem. I'll see you later at the party, okay?" Kate replied, before the phone clicked and the line cut off. Max- along with the help of Dana, of course- had finally managed to convince Kate to come to the Halloween party tonight. After many hours of pleading and bargaining, Kate had agreed to come as long as a) nobody tried to force alcohol down her throat and b) she didn't have to wear a slutty Halloween costume. Max had laughed at that; she couldn't imagine Kate wearing anything _remotely_ provocative.

Max took a deep breath, her arms tightening around the box of homemade cookies she'd asked her mom to send over. There was nothing Warren could resist more in the world than Mrs Caulfield's chocolate chip cookies; she just hoped that he wouldn't take the box and throw it at her head instead. She glanced at her watch- **8am.** Warren would probably be hunched over his desk, furiously scribbling away at the killer set of Chem problems Mrs Grant had set them yesterday in class; Max had taken one look at them last night and immediately felt like bursting into tears. Then she thought that if her and Warren were still friends, they'd have gone to each other's dorm room and spent the evening watching _Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within_ and eating Oreos whilst Warren helped her with her homework- it used to be their Friday night tradition. Remembering how much fun they used to have together only made Max want to cry more.

Casting a quick look around the deserted campus, - Max _really_ didn't want to run into Nathan or one of his jock buddies- she took a step forward, a pile of crisp, golden leaves beneath her feet crunching loudly. As she reached the large oak doors to the dormitory, something large and bony caught her eye and almost gave her a heart attack. Slowly, her vision adjusted, and she realised it was just a fake skeleton decoration. Someone had stuck a name tag that read ' **VICTORIA CHASE'** on its clavicle, and draped lacy red underwear across the pelvis part. Typical.

Suddenly the dormitory door swung open, and two lanky figures carrying skateboards barrelled out, running straight into Max. She squeaked and grabbed the huge white pillar beside her before she ended up flat on her ass- luckily, she caught it just in time and regained her composure.

"Woah, sorry man! Oh, it's you Max!" came the slow, dull voice of someone who was permanently baked. Max swivelled around to see the boys who'd practically just assaulted her; it was Trevor and Justin. They both wore ratty tee shirts that said ' **THRASHER'** , distressed cargo pants, and had shoved their shaggy, skater-boy hair beneath a beanie. They looked like they'd both walked straight out of the grunge era, or a Kurt Cobain cosplay convention.

"Shit, sorry Max! Are you okay?" Trevor drawled, his eyes bleary. Max resisted the urge to roll her own. She liked Trevor and Justin- they were hilarious, even if they were archetypal stoner boys- but she really wasn't in the mood to explain why she was lurking outside the boys' dormitory at eight in the morning.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Sorry I got in your way."

Justin shook his head, waving her off. "Nah, was our fault dude. We're just on our way to thrash. What are you doing here?"

"O-oh, I'm just here to talk to Warren about…homework." Max stammered, hoping her quivering voice wouldn't give away the lie. Clearly Trevor and Justin were too high to pick up on it, though, as they just nodded dazedly and grinned. "Well, have fun, uh, thrashing. I'll see you guys later."

Trevor nodded, flashing her a peace sign and moving down the steps, but Justin hung around, a curious look on his face. "Yo, you hang with that Chloe girl, right? Chloe Price?"

Max's heart dropped to her feet. _How did they know about Chloe?_ "U-uh yeah, we're um, we're friends. Kind of."

"I _knew_ I saw you guys together in Arcadia the other week- I was stoned as hell, so I didn't know for sure. She's Rachel Amber's friend, isn't she? They used to skate with me and Trev, back in the day."

"Chloe skates?" Max blurted out. Then she remembered that day at the diner, when Chloe had stopped to chat to Trevor and Justin. She imagined the four of them hanging out, skating, smoking weed- yep, that sounded like Chloe.

Justin nodded eagerly, his eyes shining beneath the red tinge. "Yeah, man. She was pretty fucking sick. So was Rachel, from what I remember."

Max looked down at her feet, forcing a small smile. It was so hard to hear about Chloe; even the sound of her name made her heart clench.

"Yeah, Chloe's mad funny," Justin went on, adjusting his glasses. "Hot, too. Kinda got a feeling that she bats for the other team, though- if you know what I mean."

Max blushed scarlet, her pulse accelerating. _Awkward._ "I, uh, I don't know much about that…" she trailed off, scrambling to come up with a way to change the subject.

Justin wasn't listening anyway; he set his skateboard down and placed one Converse-clad foot on it. "Rachel was crazy gorgeous, too. Shame she never really paid attention to anyone her own age."

"Dude, didn't she bone a teacher?" called Trevor from the bottom of the steps.

"Yeah. I heard it was Jefferson. Doesn't surprise me." Trevor replied. Max's head whipped up- _Jefferson?_ Why was everybody sure that him and Rachel had hooked up? Surely they couldn't believe it. It was clearly total bullshit, right?

"Nah, man, I think it was Samuel. You know, the freaky squirrel guy who like, paints sheds and fixes pipes and shit?" Trevor said, and the two boys both burst into simultaneous, raucous laughter.

Max backed away awkwardly, edging towards the dorm doors. "Uh, well, it was great talking to you guys."

Justin and Trevor nodded at her. "See ya, Max." They called, loping down the paved path and hopping onto their skateboards effortlessly.

Max paused for a second, her hand on the doorknob. This would be the second time that she'd heard that rumour about Mr Jefferson and Rachel- first Stella, now Trevor and Justin. She reached into her pocket automatically for her cellphone, ready to call Chloe and ask her if she'd ever heard something similar. As her fingers closed around the smooth surface of her phone, though, she remembered. She couldn't call Chloe.

Ignoring the icy stab in her heart, Max pushed through the door. Immediately, the overpowering stench of cheap cologne, barbecue chips, and sweat hit her like a wall, and she winced, edging along the empty corridor as quietly as possible. It was deathly silent, apart from the low grumble of snoring. Clearly the boys weren't early risers.

The dorm looked the same as it always did, except for a few cheap Halloween decorations strung carelessly about in an attempt to be festive. Max walked past the defaced, outdated school posters advertising clubs and events, the crude scribblings of girls in her class- including an unflattering drawing of Max with the caption **FEMINAZI** (wow, wonder who wrote _that_ )- and the random discarded cans of soda and candy bar wrappers, before arriving at Warren's door. The slate hanging from the door read ' **NAME'S BOND, HYDROGEN BOND'** , just as it always had, and Max smiled. From where she was standing, she could hear the faint sounds of ' _How Soon is Now?'_ being played from inside the room. Warren always listened to _The Smiths_ whilst doing his homework.

Max chewed her lip, her heart hammering against her ribcage. She debated doing a 180 and getting the hell out of there, but then she remembered Kate's encouraging voice in her ear. _I know you can do this. It's going to be fine. I promise._

She lifted her fist to the door and knocked- hesitantly, at first, and then louder in case Warren couldn't hear over his music. A couple of seconds passed, and then the door swung open to reveal Warren, clad in a tee shirt emblazoned with a picture of a cat and the caption ' **Schrödinger's cat'** , and plaid pajama pants. His hair was wild and unkempt, and there were crumbs at the side of his mouth. Clearly he wasn't exactly expecting a visitor.

"M-max." Warren stammered, his eyebrows flying up to his hairline. He blushed, moving behind the door self-consciously. At first, Max thought he was going to slam it in her face, but then she realised he was just embarrassed about being seen in his geeky pajamas. Like Max cared- she didn't look much better herself. Her hair was lank and greasy, her face was completely devoid of makeup, and the dark circles underneath her eyes were so large they practically took up half her face.

"Hey, Warren." Max breathed. It was weird to speak to him; this was the most conversation they'd exchanged in weeks. "I thought it was time that we…talked."

Warren stared at her for a minute, then nodded almost imperceptibly. "Okay." He moved back into his room, and Max took that as an incentive for her to follow him in. She shut the door and awkwardly perched on his bed, pretending to be fascinated by the pattern on the carpet. Warren seemed equally as awkward; he walked over to his desk, pulled his chair out, and then jerked towards his sofa instead. Finally, he came and sat on the bed- as far away from Max as possible.

There was an excruciating silence, and then Warren cleared his throat. "So. Um, what's that?"

He was gesturing to the tin of cookies. "Oh, it's for you." Max muttered, holding it out towards him. "I know you like my mom's cookies, so I asked her to bake some and post them to me. I kind of, uh, brought them as a peace offering."

Warren stared at the cookies, then at her. His face was blank, impassive, and for one frightening moment Max was sure he was going to tell her to leave, that he didn't want any stupid cookies. Then, miraculously, his face cracked into a smile. He reached out and took the tin, placing it beside him on the bed.

"You know me well, Super Max." He chuckled, and Max smiled at the sound of his nickname for her.

"I'm so sorry, Warren. I really am. I can't even believe how much of an asshole I was for ditching you, _and_ lying to you."

Warren shook his head. "No, Max, it's okay. I mean you were a _bit_ of an asshole, but I was a bigger one for overreacting the way I did. You didn't deserve that. I'm not angry at you- I haven't been for weeks. I guess I just couldn't swallow my pride and come talk to you. I was kinda waiting for you to make the first move. But I forgive you, Max."

Max smiled, her chest warm and relief sweeping through her. "No, you were completely right in reacting that way. Thank you for forgiving me- I've missed you so much."

Warren blushed, looking down at the bedcover. "I've missed you too, Max. A lot."

Max took a deep breath. She knew what she had to do now. "Warren, listen, there's something I need to tell you."

Warren looked up, a hopeful smile on his face. "There's actually something I need to tell you, Max. Something that I- I hope you'll like."

"Oh, is there?" Max blinked in surprise. What could Warren possibly have to tell her? He pre-ordered next season's _Game of Thrones_ boxset? He'd got them tickets to see _alt-J_ play in Portland next month?

Warren leapt up suddenly, then sat back down again almost immediately. He stared the wall, the tin of cookies, the periodic table poster beside his bed- anywhere but at Max. His fingers were shaking and his face suddenly drained of colour; Max was just about to jokingly ask him if he had a drug problem when he turned to her and looked her dead in the eye.

"I-I've been thinking about this for a while," he stuttered, his cheeks pink. "And it- well, it's taken me some time to, uh, r-realise. But I know now. Max…I love you."

 _What?!_

Of all the things. Of all. The. Fucking. Things Max expected Warren to say, _that_ was definitely not one of them. Suddenly, she heard Chloe's voice in the back of her head. ' _Man, that dude is so fucking in love with you.' 'Yeah, a friend he'd like to_ bang _.'_ ' _Did you see the way he looked at you?'_

Of course. Warren had always been in love with her. And Max had been too fucking blind not to see it. No wonder he'd been so upset when she ditched him for Chloe. And now…now she had to tell him _about_ Chloe. Oh, _fuck._

"O-oh. Right." Max blurted. She watched as the smile slid straight off Warren's face, and his eyes went dark.

He looked away, his cheeks almost purple now- with humiliation, not happiness. "I see."

Max reached out, then thought better of it. "Warren, I-"

Warren wrenched his arm away anyway, as if Max had actually touched him. "No, it's fine. It's fine." he snapped curtly.

"I'm sorry, I'm so so sorry Warren…but I d-don't feel the same way." Max said, tears welling in the corners of her eyes. She, of all people, knew how hard this must be for Warren; she knew what it was like to give your heart to someone and have them crush it in the palm of their hand. As if it meant nothing. As if _you_ were nothing. Chloe's face flashed into her mind, and she let out a small, choked sob.

"I get it, Max." Warren muttered, a tear sliding down his own cheek.

"No, you _don't_ get it." Max insisted, her gut churning. She had never seen Warren cry before, and it made her heart ache. She took a deep breath, summoning every ounce of courage within her. "Warren I-I like Chloe. I…I like her more than a friend."

Warren's head snapped up. He stared at Max through confused, unblinking eyes, as if looking at an entirely new person. His mouth opened, then closed, then opened again. "You're…you're _gay?_ " he whispered disbelievingly. Then he repeated it louder. "You're _gay_?"

Max wiped her eyes and looked down at her hands, which were shaking now too. For some reason, she felt completely and utterly terrified. Just like she had when Kate found out. Just like she had when she first realised she liked Chloe. She thought she had accepted herself, and her sexuality -whatever it was- but now she wasn't so sure. White hot shame coursed through her; Kate had been understanding, but what if Warren wasn't?

"U-uh, no. I'm not…gay. I don't really know what I am." Max let out an awkward half-laugh, half-sob.

Warren stared at her for what felt like an eternity. His right cheek was bright red, as if somebody had slapped him. Then he looked away, closed his eyes, and nodded slowly. "Okay. Okay," he said softly, like he was speaking to himself more than her. "So…you're, uh, you're with Chloe then?"

And there it was. Max had been dreading this moment more than the coming out part; explaining everything to Warren- Rachel, Frank, Rachel _and_ Frank, Chloe and Rachel. She looked at Warren, with his earnest brown eyes and open palms, and knew that she had to at least try. He would understand. Even if he was in love with her, even if their friendship was treading on extremely thin ice…there was nobody in the world, except maybe Chloe, who understood her more than Warren.

So she took a deep breath, and began.

 **Many hours later,** Max checked her watch. **10pm.** Was it bad to wish that time would accelerate so that she could go home? From where she was standing outside the Blackwell gym, waiting with Kate to be let into the Halloween party, she could already hear the voices of her classmates ricocheting off the walls inside, accompanied by the terrible thumping bass of some shitty techno song. The cloyingly sweet stench of perfume mixed with sweat hung in the air, and every ten seconds Max was almost knocked flying when some douchebag in a Batman costume or girl in a slutty nurse outfit barged past her. The party had barely just started, and she already wanted to fucking leave.

"Um, hello? Do you need to check in a bag?" demanded the snooty Vortex Club girl working the door of the party, casting Max and Kate a glare that could wilt flowers.

They both shook their heads, and the girl waved them in, before turning and whispering something to her friend. The two girls both giggled, and Max felt herself blush. She adjusted her blue shorts- she felt like she was wearing a thong, they were that far up her butt- and tugged self-consciously at her pigtailed wig. She'd almost not worn her Harley Quinn costume- in fact, she'd almost not come _at all-_ but she knew she couldn't let Dana down. The girl had texted her at least twenty times throughout the day to make sure she was still coming. It was sweet; Max felt touched that somebody was that grateful for her presence. However, it didn't make the party seem any more appealing.

"You ready?" Kate murmured beside her. She'd come as Alice in Wonderland, and she looked amazing. Her mousy blonde hair hung down her back in loose waves- Max had never noticed how long and pretty it was before- and her delicate porcelain skin complemented the blue-and-white pinafore she was wearing beautifully.

"Ready as I'll ever be." Max replied, and pushed through the gymnasium doors.

If she thought the music was loud before, it was almost _deafening_ now. Max could feel the bass quivering within her, making her ribcage reverberate. Multi-coloured lights flashed in her eyes, bouncing off the walls and casting red, yellow and blue shadows over the kids in their immediate vicinity. Fake cobwebs, skeletons, and bats hung from the walls, pumpkins scattered the floor- no doubt Max would trip over one at some point during the night- and a few feet away were tables littered with candy eyeballs, spider cupcakes, coffin-shaped cookies and a huge bowl of ominous-looking, ahem, 'non-alcoholic' punch. Max had to admit it; the Vortex Club had really outdone themselves. The gym was completely transformed- it looked _amazing._ Okay, so maybe Victoria did have some style.

Max looked around the room, her eyes sliding off the sea of anonymous faces as if they were reflective. She felt like she was having an episode of prosopagnosia. It was just one slutty witch, zombie cheerleader or Ghostface after another. Luckily, though, she couldn't see any Harley Quinns'- or Jokers, for that matter. Beside her, Kate looked equally as nervous. Like Max, this was her first Vortex party too. Max just hoped they wouldn't run into Nathan or Victoria, who would most certainly kick them out- even though the flyer for the party had said ' **ALL STUDENTS WELCOME** '.

"MAX! KATE! YOU CAME!" One voice was indistinguishable from the chorus of conversations and the screeching music, and it only belonged to one person. Max turned to see Dana booking it towards them, donned in her black latex Catwoman suit. The skin-tight outfit- which would be hugely unflattering on 99% of the population- glided over her lean, taut figure, and the spiky black boots she was wearing made her legs come up to her neck. She enveloped Kate and Max in a bone-crushing hug and squealed. "I'm so happy! I was so worried you guys were gonna bail!"

"Oh, trust me, I considered it." Max replied with a good-natured roll of her eyes. "You look incredible, Dana."

"Yeah, you do." Kate echoed shyly.

Dana smiled and did a little twirl. "I was just coming over here to tell you guys how good _you_ look! You look so beautiful with your hair down, Kate. And Max- you are looking H-O-T _hot!_ Just wait until Warren sees you in that outfit."

Max and Kate looked at each other. Kate raised her eyebrows knowingly and nodded her head, shooting her an encouraging smile. Shit. Max had promised her before the party that she'd finally tell Dana the truth about Chloe- it wasn't fair to keep lying to her, especially considering how much Dana had been there for her recently (even though she thought she was helping Max get over Warren, not Chloe).

"Um, I'm going to get some food. Do you guys want anything?" Kate asked, backing away.

Dana shook her head wistfully. "I would _kill_ for one of those pumpkin cupcakes, but you have no idea how long it took me to get into this costume. If I eat anything, I think I might burst."

"Let's hope you don't have to pee tonight." Max giggled, waiting until Kate had moved away before touching Dana lightly on the arm. "Dana, I…I need to tell you something. About Warren."

Dana wasn't listening, though. Her eyes were fixated on something- or someone- behind Max. She let out a low squeal and widened her eyes at Max. "Looks like your knight in shining, uh, _lightsaber_ is here for you, Harley Q!" she whispered excitedly.

Max turned around to see Warren a few paces away, wearing a Luke Skywalker costume and carrying a glowing neon-green lightsaber. Something inside her chest clenched; for one fleeting, miraculous moment, she'd hoped it would be Chloe. How stupid of her.

"Hey, Warren!" she called, and Warren grinned and made his way over to them.

"Hey guys. May the Force be with you, huh?" he joked, waving his lightsaber about geekily and almost knocking out Luke Parker and Evan Harris, who were on their way to the refreshments table.

Dana giggled and began moving away, shooting Max a surreptitious wink. "I'll leave you two to chat…" she murmured, and disappeared into the crowd of people before Max had a chance to stop her.

"Shit." Max muttered. She _needed_ to tell her.

"I'm guessing she still thinks we're together?" Warren asked, chuckling. Max had told him everything, including the fact that Dana thought the two of them were in some sort of clandestine relationship…something that Max hadn't exactly helped the other day in the costume shop. He had been surprisingly understanding; about Chloe, about Rachel, about everything. The thing he was most hurt about was that she hadn't confided in him about this from the start- they were supposed to best friends, weren't they? Max agreed, and had promised never to lie to him again. Things were still slightly awkward between them- Warren was still hopelessly in love with her, and that wouldn't go away for a while, but he was trying. She really couldn't ask for a better friend.

Max nodded ruefully. "Yep. I'll tell her later though, I promise. I can't believe you came! Don't get me wrong, I'm glad you're here, but I didn't think this was your scene."

Warren nudged her arm playfully. "Could say the same about you."

"Dana dragged me and Kate along. I'm giving it two hours, then I'm out of here- this crappy music is giving me a migraine."

"Kate's here?"

Max nodded. "Yeah, we convinced her to come. Save her a dance, will you? I think she's a little bit nervous, and I'm sure you'll be able to make her laugh."

Warren grinned. "If I can't, my dance moves will definitely do the job."

Max giggled. "Thank you, Warren. For everything."

"It's okay, Max." Warren reassured her, smiling. Kate suddenly appeared with two red solo cups and a plate of cookies, and his eyes lit up. "Kate! Or should I say Alice? Anyway, would you care for a dance with none other than a Jedi knight himself?"

Kate laughed. "Hey, Warren! Well, I guess I won't get an opportunity like that again- sure, let's dance."

 **Two hours into the dance,** and Max was completely exhausted. Her feet were numb, she was doused in sweat, and her wig was itching like a bitch. She'd been forced onto the dancefloor all night by Dana, Warren, and even Kate, and now her body was paying the price for it. She sunk against the wall of the gym, watching as Warren twirled Kate around and Trevor swung Dana over his shoulder, spinning her around. It reminded her of when her and Chloe had danced at the gay bar. It felt like a lifetime ago.

All night she'd managed to distract herself and keep thoughts of Chloe out of her head, but now that she was alone the familiar ache had returned. Tonight should have been fun, but instead it was just…mediocre. Couples were everywhere; clutching onto each other on the dance floor, making out in dark, secluded corners, wrapping their arms around each other as they poured themselves drinks. Chloe's face floated into her mind before she could stop it, and Max wondered what she was doing right now. She'd wondered that every day for the past week; was Chloe thinking of her? Did she miss Max? Did she spend her nights crying into her pillow too? It didn't matter, though. Max already knew the answer. As much as it made her heart break, Chloe probably didn't care.

Because if she cared about her, she would do something about it.

Max felt tears prick the corners of her eyes. She blinked rapidly, scanning the crowd and playing a game of 'Choose the sluttiest student' in an effort to distract herself. Juliet Watson was stood by the drinks table, pouring herself her umpteenth cup of 'punch'. She was wearing what looked like a Tinkerbell costume, but seemed more like a slither of sheer green material plastered to her torso and back. Max had also seen Taylor and Courtney earlier manning the DJ booth; Taylor had come as a Victoria's Secret Angel- probably just an excuse to strut around in underwear and call it a 'costume'- and was attracting a lot of male attention, even though she kept hitting people in the face with her ginormous wings every five seconds. Courtney had squeezed herself into a sailor costume- a pretty boring choice for someone who prided herself as a 'fashion expert'- and was tottering about in her six-inch stiletto heels like she was on stilts. Thankfully, Max hadn't seen Victoria or Nathan, even though they were bound to be here somewhere. Hopefully she could make it through the rest of the night without a run-in.

"What the _hell_ are you doing here?"

An oh-too-familiar scathing voice cut through Max's thoughts, and she startled, her head swivelling instantly in the direction of the sound. There was Victoria, flanked by Taylor and Courtney, stood to Max's left with her skinny hands on her hips and a furious glare smouldering in her eyes. She wore a tight red bodysuit that stopped at the top of her thighs, exposing her long, toned legs, and a pair of sparkly red shoes which probably cost more than all of Max's wardrobe put together. A pair of red devil horns rested atop her crop of sleek blonde hair, glittering menacingly,

Speak of the freaking devil. _Literally._

"Didn't you hear me, freak? _I said,_ what the hell are you doing here?!" Victoria repeated loudly. Even with the ear-splitting music, her sharp, sardonic voice rang clear. A few heads swivelled in their direction, and a couple of people stopped to watch, curious expressions on their faces.

Max's heart thumped against her ribcage. _It's okay. Don't panic. It's only Victoria. You can do this._ She raised her chin defiantly and shot Victoria a challenging smile. "It's a party, Victoria. Everyone was invited. I have as much right to be here as you do."

Victoria let out a high-pitch, scornful laugh. Beside her, Taylor and Courtney tittered. "God, you really are fucking dumb, aren't you? Let me spell it out for you. There's a difference between you and I, selfie-whore. People like me, we _belong_ here. This is our party. We're hot. Cool. Popular. And you? You don't belong _anywhere._ You're just a weirdo who will never fit in."

The words stabbed Max straight in the gut, but she knew she couldn't react. She was above this. She was above Victoria. "I don't have to listen to this."

"Yeah, bitch, you _do_ have to listen." Suddenly someone appeared beside Victoria, as if sensing drama. Of course, it was Nathan. He was decked head to toe in full Count Dracula attire- cape, fangs, and all. Max couldn't help but think he would've made a better serial killer instead.

"Yeah. No one wants you here, Max." Taylor hissed. Courtney nodded vehemently beside her, her lips curled into a disdainful smirk.

"Actually, Dana invited me here. So I think you'll find you're wrong." Max snapped, clenching her fists hard to stop her fingers from shaking.

Victoria snorted. "Dana's a cheap slut. _I'm_ the leader of the Vortex Club, and _I_ get to say who gets in."

"Maybe you should have a word with the door girl, then, because she's doing a shitty job."

Victoria's head jerked back, and two patches of red blossomed in her cheeks. She glanced at Taylor and Courtney, and the two of them slunk off quickly. Beside her, Nathan narrowed his eyes and took a step towards Max. "Watch it, bitch." He hissed, spit flying out of his mouth and spraying Max's nose.

She recoiled, pushing past him with a hard shove. "Whatever." Her eyes were on Dana, Kate and Warren on the other side of the room, near the dancefloor. If she could get to them, she would be okay. They would stand up for her. As she moved past, though, Victoria stuck her leg out at the last moment. For a split second everything moved in slow motion; Max's ankle connected with Victoria's glittering red stiletto, she went flailing forwards, and slammed onto the hard, polished floor with a loud clatter.

At that moment, _everything_ stopped. Max had always thought that party scene in every high-school movie where the music squeals and everything goes deathly silent was just overdramatised fiction- the sort of thing that never happens in real life. But no. The techno track thumping over the sound system suddenly screeched to a halt. By the DJ booth, Taylor and Courtney tossed the plug to the sound system on the ground, and strutted back over to Victoria, Nathan and Max triumphantly.

Searing pain shot through Max's pelvis. She twisted around, wincing as her legs screamed in protest. A huge, purple bruise was already forming on her right wrist, and her fishnet tights had split all up the sides. She looked up; Nathan and Victoria towered above her, smirks plastered on their faces, and a huge crowd of students had gathered around them. Max scanned the sea of faces, all wide-eyed and eager, hungry for a fight. Oh God. Oh God, oh God, oh God. This couldn't be happening.

"Who are you looking for? Sorry, your dyke friend isn't here to save you now, freak." Victoria cried, and Max's chest clenched. She was right. Chloe wasn't there to save her. No one was.

"We thought it would be fun for everybody to watch whilst we kick your slut ass out of here." Nathan announced, grinning at her like a wolf about to pounce upon its prey. "Everyone likes comedy, right?"

"She looks like such a spaz in that costume." Victoria said to Taylor and Courtney loudly, eliciting a chorus of giggles from the crowd surrounding them. "Harley Quinn, really? _So_ unoriginal."

"And tacky." Taylor added.

"So tacky." Courtney echoed.

Max scrambled to her feet, teetering on her heels. Her heart was thumping in her chest, her throat raw with the urge to cry. She had never felt more humiliated in her life. "Leave me alone." She tried to shout, but it came out as more of a pathetic, frightened whisper instead.

" _Leave me alone_." Nathan and Victoria echoed mockingly, provoking more laughter from the crowd. More and more people were stopping to watch now; Max could see Dana, Warren and Kate making their way towards her, but they were shoved back by the growing mass of students.

"What is your problem?!" Max hissed, her cheeks aflame. Rage bubbled in her gut, threatening to spill over. _Fuck them all._

"You wanna know what our problem is? Isn't it fucking obvious, retard? _YOU._ You're our problem." Nathan spat, his eyes blazing. He took a slow sip of his drink, and laughed. "Get the fuck out of here." And with one flick of his wrist, he tossed his cup at Max.

Warm liquid flew into her face, completely soaking her. There was a moment of silence, and then everyone burst into wild, high-pitched laughter. Victoria clutched Taylor and Courtney as the three of them screeched mercilessly, and there was a unanimous flash of light as people whipped out their cameras to take photos. Max screamed, the horrible fizzy liquid burning the corners of her eyes and trickling down her chest. She tried desperately to shield her face from the flashing cameras, but it was no use. This would be all over social media before the night was over.

Nathan moved closer to her, his eyes so black and full of burning hatred that it was actually scary. His mouth twisted into a masochistic smirk, and he wrinkled his nose as if he smelt something particularly unpleasant. "I told you that you would regret being such a little bitch, Max. That's what you get for fucking with me."

The rage in Max's stomach exploded, and her vision went completely white for a second. She had never felt _so_ _fucking angry_ in her entire life. _FUCK_ Nathan. Her hands balled into fists instinctively, and she raised her right arm. In that moment, there was nothing she wanted more than to see his face smashed into the floor. She was going to punch him. She was going to do it. She was going to-

A fist connected with Nathan's face, along with the gut-churning crunch of skin against skin, bone against bone. His head snapped to the left, he staggered back for a few seconds, and then collapsed on the floor with a loud _smack._ Max froze, staring at her fist- it was by her side, unbruised. She hadn't done it.

"AND THAT'S WHAT YOU GET FOR FUCKING WITH _MY GIRLFRIEND_!"

That voice. She knew that voice.

Max's head whipped to the right. A tall, slender girl was stood there clutching her bloody fist. She was dressed in a purple pinstriped suit, a dishevelled white shirt, and a short green wig. Her beautiful, angular face was covered in white face paint, and her lips had been painted into a comical red smirk. The Joker.

It was Chloe.


	18. Chapter 18

There was a minute of complete and utter silence. Considering that there were close to three hundred students in the room, Max thought at least somebody would make a sound. But no. Nothing. It was so quiet that she could hear her own heart, and Chloe's, thumping a mile a minute.

Then, slowly, a low rumble went through the crowd. Whispering, shocked gasps, even a few peals of laughter. Max heard fragments of people's conversations: "Is Nathan okay?!" "Who _is_ that girl?" "Didn't you hear what she _said?_ " Curled on the floor, Nathan let out a high-pitched, blood-curdling moan. He sat up, clutching his blood-soaked cheek, and attempted to stagger to his feet. From behind them Victoria suddenly rushed forward and grabbed his arm; her face was white as a sheet and she shot Chloe a fearful glance, her arm half raised as if ready to defend herself, like Chloe might just punch _her_ next.

"YOU. _BITCH!_ " Nathan roared, his voice half-choked, half shaking with fury. He lunged towards them and Victoria pulled him back, gripping onto his shoulder so hard her fingers turned red.

Max felt as if the past few minutes had been some sort of outer-body experience; her vision was slightly blurred and everyone's voices sounded muffled, like she was in some sort of tin can. It hadn't quite registered that Chloe was stood next to her, breathing heavily, her fist dripping blood onto the gym floor. Chloe was _here._

She had saved her.

But Nathan's outburst immediately snapped Max back into reality; she lurched forward, grabbing Chloe's arm and looking her dead in the eye. "We need to get out of here. _Now._ " She hissed. She didn't even have time to think about the touch of Chloe's hot skin against hers- the first time she'd touched her in weeks.

Chloe blinked at her, her eyes wild, and nodded silently. The crowd of people around them had thickened, and the level of noise in the room had gone from non-existent to almost deafening. Everyone was shoving, shouting, pushing to the front to get a better view. Max turned around, took a deep breath, and barrelled through the crowd, Chloe in tow. It was like pushing through an ocean; everyone was in their face, gawking at them like they were animals that had escaped from the zoo. Max heard several familiar voices- was that Dana yelling her name from deep within the tide of students, or Kate? – as well as an unmistakable "I'm gonna fucking _KILL_ them!" which obviously came from Nathan. But she couldn't think about that right now. She just had to focus on getting out.

Max shoved past a bemused, drunken couple who were stood near the exit making out, and budged the door open with her bruised arm. The pain shot through her body like a knife, but she bit down on her lip hard and ignored it. Seconds later, her and Chloe were stood outside. She realised that the rumble within the gym hadn't just come from the students- it was freaking _pouring_ with rain. The black night sky let out a violent shudder and the rain intensified, smacking against her cheek and the sidewalk with a wet _hiss._

Max turned to Chloe, who was stood beside her frantically trying to light a cigarette. The flame of the lighter glowed a brilliant amber for a millisecond, then extinguished. She tried again, unsuccessfully, and then threw the cigarette onto the floor with an exasperated cry.

"Chloe, stop. We need to get to my dorm." Max shouted, raising her voice over the thunderous rain. Chloe opened her mouth to say something, looking torn, but then closed it and nodded meekly. It was almost so dark that Max couldn't catch her bearings, but then she saw a white floodlight shining in the distance. The dorms. Focusing on the light, Max grabbed Chloe's blood-soaked hand again and began running. Her feet skidded and wobbled in her ridiculous Harley Quinn-esque platform shoes, but she ploughed on. Beside her Chloe was muttering furious curse words under her breath, and Max almost smiled.

Almost.

Two minutes later they were in Max's dorm room, shaking and gasping for breath. Max was soaked to the skin; her top- which was already revealing enough- appeared to have shrunk in the rain so now it looked like she was wearing a toddler's clothes, and her wig was plastered to the sides of her head. She ripped the synthetic hair off her head and tossed it onto the ground at the same time as Chloe wrenched her green wig off too.

"Fucking thing was giving me a rash." Chloe muttered, letting out a small laugh. Then she seemed to remember the situation that they were in and looked away awkwardly, reaching into her blazer pocket and producing a fresh cigarette. "Can I, uh, smoke in here?"

Max didn't say anything. She turned away and grabbed the towel hanging on the back of her desk chair, wrapping it round herself with shaking fingers. Smoking in the dorms was strictly forbidden, but who cared? After tonight, Max would probably be suspended anyway. There was a pause, and then the click of a lighter and the sound of Chloe taking a long, hard drag. As soon as the strong, familiar scent of tobacco hit Max's nostrils, a wave of surprising warmth shuddered through her. She'd missed that smell.

She stared at the wall for a good long minute, her head spinning. Chloe was here. Chloe had _punched Nathan._ Chloe had called Max her girlfriend.

 _Girlfriend._

There was a sharp intake of breath behind her. Max spun around to see Chloe hunched over slightly, cigarette dangling between her pursed lips, clutching her fist. The rain had washed all her make up down her face so that she was now sporting a comical red upside-down frown and two large black rings around her eyes. She was visibly shaking and her skin was almost as white as her face-paint, her veins protruding visibly and running in snake-like patterns down her wrists. Beneath her blazer her shirt was wet through, and it clung to her body, to every curve. Max couldn't help it; that feeling blossomed in her pelvis, tugging at her abdomen. She had a sudden flashback to that day in Chloe's room the other week; Chloe, sat in her black bra, her skin flushed and hair mussed around her face. To the feel of her teeth against Max's skin, the way she'd moaned, the wild, pulsating look in her eyes.

Max bit her lip and pulled the towel from her shoulders, handing it to Chloe with a small sigh. "Here. Wrap your fist in this." She instructed, not even bothering to hide the frostiness in her voice. Chloe blinked at her, clearly a bit taken aback, and then nodded and took the towel. She winced and muttered a low ' _fuck'_ as she wiped away the blood.

"I can't believe you punched Nathan." Max thought to herself. It was only when Chloe looked up and gave her a small, lop-sided grin that she realised she'd said it aloud.

"Yeah, well. He deserved a lot worse. I hope I broke his fucking jaw."

A smile tugged at Max's lips, but she willed it away. She grabbed a pack of makeup wipes from her desk, taking one out and passing it to Chloe. "Your, uh, make up is running a bit." She said, gesturing to Chloe's eyes and lips.

Chloe took the wipe with a small smile and turned to look at herself in the mirror. Suddenly she let out a loud, explosive laugh. "Shit. I look more like a clown than a freaking Joker." She begun to wipe haphazardly at her face- Max guessed that Chloe had never even used _make-up_ before, let alone make-up wipes- and then moved back over to Max. One side of her face was clear, but the other was streaked with white and red and black, like somebody had mixed had gone crazy on her with a paintball gun.

Yet somehow, extraordinarily…she still looked completely and utterly beautiful. Skinny, tall, effortlessly striking; the corner of her mouth slightly turned up in that coy, sexy way, her crop of mussed turquoise hair, the tattoo on her bicep glowing vividly beneath the white of her shirt. And those eyes. God, Max had almost forgotten how beautiful Chloe's eyes were.

And they were looking right at her.

Chloe was stood staring at Max, her intoxicating blue irises piercing into Max's own hazel ones. Max's breath hitched, and she instantly wanted to look away…but she couldn't. It was like she was frozen. As the two of them looked at each other, the strangest feeling blossomed in her chest. It felt warm and familiar, like a woollen blanket. After everything that happened, after the torture of the past few weeks, Chloe stood in her dorm smiling at her like everything was normal should have felt wrong- but it didn't. It didn't feel wrong. It felt like home.

Chloe moved closer, her eyes never straying from Max's face. She reached forward slowly, painfully slowly, and gently wrapped her fingers around her left hand. As the two of them touched, it felt like Max's entire skin was aflame. Electricity pulsed in her fingertips, the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end, and her heart thumped against her ribcage. It felt like the first time they met each other; the swoop of butterflies in Max's stomach, the way Chloe had seemed to look into her eyes and see _everything._ It felt like nothing had happened, like no time had passed between them. They were together. Nothing had happened. It was the same.

Then the sound of Chloe's voice that day at the beach came crashing into Max's head. The fury beneath her words and in her eyes, and how she'd looked at Max with such hatred. The way she'd cut her out of her life, just like that. As if it were easy. As if they were nothing. As if _Max_ was nothing.

Who was she kidding? _Nothing_ was the same.

Max wrenched away, jerking her arm so hard that she almost knocked Chloe backwards. "No. _NO,_ " she spat, her voice suddenly trembling with rage. "You don't get to do that." Anger soared through her chest, forming a nasty, fiery pit deep in her gut. How _dare_ Chloe touch her like that? Look at her like that? Like everything was normal- like she'd done nothing wrong. The fury Max had felt for Nathan earlier was nothing compared to how she felt now looking at Chloe's stupidly beautiful, smug face. Fuck her. _Fuck_ her.

"Do what?" Chloe replied, her brows furrowed in confusion.

This only made Max angrier. Was she really that _thick?_ "Touch me. Talk to me. Even _look_ at me. What the fuck makes you think that you have any right to do that anymore? Huh? Go on, tell me. I would love to hear what you have to say, considering you haven't said a word to me in two weeks."

Two red patches bloomed on Chloe's cheeks, and she looked away guiltily. A surge of triumph shot though Max's heart. _Good._ "L-look, Max, I-I-"

Max threw her hands in the air in exasperation. "You _what? What?_ I cared about you, Chloe! I-I opened myself up to you, and I don't do that with just _anyone._ I don't get it. What did I do wrong?"

"You didn't do anything wrong, okay?!" Chloe snapped suddenly, crossing her arms as if she wanted to fold in on herself. For one second she looked small and defenceless, like a child- not like the brazen, confident Chloe Max knew. But then again, maybe she didn't know her at all.

Max snorted. Her heart was in her throat and her chest was so tight that it hurt. It wasn't _fair._ It wasn't fair that Chloe could treat her like shit and have no explanation, not even an apology. "So you ignore me for two weeks for no fucking reason and now you're here? Now you decide we're a couple? _Now_ you decide I'm your girlfriend?"

Chloe looked at her then. Her beautiful blue eyes were glassy and her top lip was trembling, like she was on the verge of tears. Max's heart twisted and she involuntarily reached forward to comfort her, but then dropped her hands at the last moment. Chloe seemed to notice; her eyes lit up for a second, then dulled. She stared down at her wrist, fiddling with her stack of bracelets. "I'm scared, Max." she said finally.

 _What?_ Max stared at her, completely thrown. "You're scared?" she echoed, anger swelling in her veins again. "What do _you_ have to be afraid of? You're not the one who's gonna be harassed by Nathan and Victoria and the entire fucking Vortex Club. I'm scared. I'm _so fucking scared_ of what they're going to do to me now, but you know what? It's worth it. It's worth it for you, Chloe. I'd do anything for you." Her throat ached with that horrible sore feeling of trying not to cry, and she swallowed desperately. "Why are you scared? Why?"

There was a moment of silence. Chloe was staring fixedly at her feet, her mouth firmly closed in that tight-lipped way that meant she wasn't going to say anything. Max's heart dropped. She suddenly felt like she did when was five and her dad took her to the beach; she would grab fistfuls of sand, trying to keep it in her hand for as long as possible. But it didn't work- the tiny grains would slip through and escape, and she'd be left with nothing. No matter how tight she held on, how much she wanted it, it just wasn't enough. This was the same. She would never be enough for Chloe.

She let out a deep breath, hot tears slipping down her cheeks. "Fine," she whispered shakily. "Don't tell me. I-I think you'd better go." She slammed past Chloe, moving towards the door.

"I think I'm falling in love with you."

Chloe's voice was so small that it was almost inaudible…but Max heard every. Single. Syllable. She stopped dead in her tracks, her entire body frozen in shock. A million fireworks exploded inside her chest, frying her veins with electricity. This couldn't be real. This _couldn't_ be real. Did she…did she just hear that right?

She felt Chloe move behind her, her breath suddenly warm and shaky on the back of her neck. "That's why I-I've been ignoring you, okay?" The blue-haired girl whispered. There was a pause, and Max held her breath as she waited for her to speak again. Finally, she did. "Because I'm a fucking coward. I fell in love with Rachel, and then she- she left. My dad died. Everyone I've ever loved has abandoned me." Chloe's voice cracked suddenly- she was crying. She sounded small and weak, and Max felt something in her chest give way. "When I found out about Rachel and Frank, God it-it fucking destroyed me. She was the first person I ever loved and she _lied_ to me. I-I always had that bit of hope that maybe, just maybe, she felt the same way, maybe she was in love with me too. But she was fucking Frank the whole time. I loved her _so_ much, Max. I guess I kind of…freaked out, okay? I convinced myself that you were going to do the same thing, that one day you were just going to fuck me over and leave too. And you know what? I wouldn't blame you if you did. So I distanced myself from you- I thought…I thought that I was protecting myself, that I was doing the right thing for both of us. And I guess…I guess a part of me thought you'd be better off without me."

Max whipped around at that. She faced Chloe, who was stood there trembling, her cheeks soaked with tears. The moonlight spilling in through the window washed over, making her look almost translucent. All of a sudden she wasn't so tall and confident; she looked like a scared, lonely little girl. "What?" Max choked out. "Why would you think that?"

Chloe shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe because you're hella smart and talented and one day you'll be a world-famous photographer, and I'm just some junkie high-school drop out? Maybe because you've done nothing but care about me, and this is how I treat you? Or maybe- maybe because I'm fucked up, and you don't deserve to be with someone like me." Chloe's voice ached with self-loathing, and another angry tear slipped down her porcelain cheek.

Max's gut clenched. She grabbed Chloe's wrists impulsively, looking up into her mournful, aquamarine eyes. "Chloe. I'm _never_ going to leave you, okay? You are the single most incredible person I have _ever_ met. If anything, it's me that doesn't deserve you. Believe me. I-I'm falling in love with you too. I think I have been since the day you stormed into Principal Wells' office."

Chloe sucked in her breath, her eyes glowing beneath her wet lashes. Her face broke into a smile- the most beautiful goddamn smile Max had ever seen- and she let out a little laugh. "Max, I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry for everything that's happened these past-"

Max didn't even wait for her to finish. She crashed her lips onto Chloe's, kissing her hard and hot and forcefully. Chloe responded almost instantly, her mouth melting into hers. Max breathed in that familiar scent of tobacco and mint, her muscles automatically relaxing and collapsing in on each other. She felt like her heart was on her fire; she hadn't realised how much she'd been craving this, how every night her body had burned and ached for Chloe's touch, her lips against hers, her hands in her hair.

Chloe's hands were all over her, pulling at her hair, travelling down her arms, grabbing her ass hard. Max let out a choked moan, her breath becoming jagged and irregular as she felt that pulsating sensation grow in her pelvis. She reached for Chloe's shirt, fumbling frantically with the buttons. Chloe pulled at Max's top too, waiting for her to nod in consent before ripping it over her head and throwing it on the floor. They both paused for a moment, panting and staring at each other in the cool darkness of the room.

"Do you want to do this?" Chloe whispered, her eyes huge and wild.

Max swallowed hard. She couldn't take her eyes off Chloe's half-naked body, the black lace bra covering her chest, the metallic glint of the silver bullet necklace hanging enticingly between her cleavage. Her heart was pumping, and she was both terrified and excited at the same time. Oh God. She wanted this. She wanted it more than anything, ever.

She moved forward, her eyes never leaving Chloe's face, and placed her hand on her warm, flat stomach. She slipped two of her fingers beneath the waistband of the other girl's black jeans, feeling the lacy material of her underwear beneath. Chloe closed her eyes, her mouth parting and a soft sigh escaping her lips. Max trailed her lips up to her ear, and then spoke. "Yes."

And then they were in each other's arms again.

Chloe shoved Max against the wall, her tongue sliding into her mouth roughly. Max kissed back just as passionately, and for a few minutes the only sound was their low groans and ragged gasps. Chloe hoisted Max's legs up so that they were wrapped around her waist, fiddling with her own bra clip. She paused and looked Max dead in the eyes, a smirk plastered across her lips. "Told you I like it up against a wall." She muttered gruffly, and Max felt something loosen in her pelvis, like a knot being undone. She let out a harsh sigh and pulled her back in, helping Chloe undo the clasp on her bra. As soon as it fell to the floor her hands were all over Chloe's chest, squeezing her small, perky breasts hard.

Chloe wrapped her arms around Max's back and ripped her bra off with one swift motion. She began to work her way down her body, trailing her lips down her neck, over her breasts, her stomach, and then stopped at the slither of skin above her blue shorts. Slowly- painstakingly slowly- she pulled them down and flung them off, and then did the same to her fishnet tights. Then she made her way back up, kissing every inch of Max's skin. They locked eyes and kissed again roughly, then gently, then deeper, harder. Chloe's fingers ran over Max's torso, sliding down to her underwear.

There was a pause, and Max held her breath. She felt a sticky dampness between her thighs and a burning rush of heat pooling in her chest and gut. Chloe looked at her from beneath hooded lids, and the two shared an electric-charged stare. Then, slowly, Chloe slipped her fingers beneath the waistband of Max's underwear.

Max bucked her hips instantly, letting out a fierce whine. Chloe pressed her lips against her neck and chuckled gruffly, which only made Max moan harder. The blue-haired girl's fingers slid over her clit and she ground down against them, wiggling her hips and digging her fingernails into Chloe's back, causing her to let out a low _'fuck'_ that sent hot bolts of electricity down Max's spine.

"Fuck baby, you're so wet." Chloe husked, her voice thick with lust.

Max bit her lip. Her entire body was trembling. They were going to do this. This was happening. This wasn't a dream. She pulled Chloe's mouth towards hers, her heart racing. "Then fucking do something about it." She muttered teasingly.

And then Chloe's hand was inside her, and they were rocking against each other rhythmically, and then her mouth was down there too, and Max couldn't feel or do anything besides gasp and moan and release every curse word she knew of. She closed her eyes, letting a kaleidoscope of colours envelop beneath her eyelids. They were at that point of no return, the place that Max was once so scared of. Yet it didn't seem so scary anymore.

So she let Chloe take her there.

 **A/N:** I AM SO SO SO SORRY ABOUT THE LATE CHAPTER. These past few weeks have been completely manic, but I promise I'm going to be more consistent about uploading. Thank you all for being so patient and understanding. Enjoy!


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